My year in review

If 2022 was the year that I walked away from academia, and held on for dear life as my reality spiralled out of control, and 2023 was the year that I experimented with what type of artist I wanted to be, 2024 has been the year of starting to put those experiments to use, and sustaining myself (just) whilst making art I feel proud of. I am still white-knuckling it, but some things are starting to make a bit more sense now.

SMQB Liver Cancer Project, University of Birmingham

The year began with continuing my residency with the laboratories of Shishir Shetty and Chris Weston at the University of Birmingham, who conduct research into the mechanisms of immunotherapy for liver cancer treatments, accompanied by mathematician Paul Roberts.

I loved attending meetings with the scientists, as well as the other artists who were working on their own respective projects - the most talented and creative group of people I have had the privilege to meet. Seeing their projects progress expanded my ideas of what art can look like, and was the education and impetus I needed. My art got more experimental, as I searched for artistic representations of the moments of coincidence that would mirror the coincidence of biomarkers in and around liver tumours.

I hosted a workshop at my studios at Out of the Blue Drill Hall as part of the project, bringing together artists, patients, doctors and scientists from Birmingham and from across Scotland, to converse and draw, and to share their knowledge and experience. It was a particular honour and a privilege to chat with the patients, who changed the direction of my work through their words.

Finally, in June, all the artists on the projects from across the University came back together for a joint exhibition: Encoded Realities at Centrala, Digbeth, Birmingham. The show was amazing, and I felt both delighted and completely out of my depth being there. I’m so proud that I got to exhibit alongside so many artists whose work I am crazy about, and completely inspired by the scientists and artists to push myself further.

Immense thanks to, Shishir, Chris, Paul, and their teams, Caroline and her team, who orchestrated the whole project, the incredible other artists who encouraged and supported me to be better and bolder.

Spring Pop Up / HOME exhibition /
Out of the Blue 30th Anniversary Celebrations

Back in Out of the Blue Drill Hall, the artists put on three collective exhibitions this year. The Spring pop up was an informal glance at the works created in the Drill Hall at accessible price points, whilst the 30th Anniversary Celebration exhibition was a brief showcase of the artists’ talents. However, the outstanding show of the year was the HOME exhibition, imagined and curated by the indominable Solen Collet. Solen created an environment that was all about welcoming the public into our ‘home from home’, and the calibre and curation of the work transformed the space, and elevated all the work within it, earning a writeup in the Edinburgh Evening News.

Mutual Fascination Exhibition / Atria One Exhibition

Through pure luck and happenstance, I was offered two solo exhibitions this year, the first at Out of the Blue Drill Hall, and the second in the atrium of the Atria One office building, a beautiful and light enormous space in the Fountainbridge area of Edinburgh. Mutual Fascination, the solo show at Out of the Blue Drill Hall, was a real highlight of this year, as I was able to put ALL my work up in one place, and weave through the narrative of why I had created those artworks at that time. Often this related to where I had been living, and where I was in my journey through science, academia and art.

It was also an opportunity to showcase some extremely talented musicians I have got to know over the past year: Bee-Eater played a beautiful blinder of a set, and managed to create an atmosphere that felt charged and sparkling.

Check out their single ‘All I Carry’, recorded at the gorgeous Knockwood Studios.

Mutual Fascination Exhibition at Out of the Blue Drill Hall

Drawing in the Spring / Drawing in the Autumn

Having found some time in 2023 to experiment with how to be an art educator, and finding that I loved it, I took a massive leap in 2024 to curate and deliver my first series of drawing workshops.

Participants make collages at Drawing in the Spring

I had a vision of what I would like art workshops to look like – themed, silly, creative, comfortable, skills-based – and just enough courage to put my ideas into practice. To say I was nervous before my first class would be an understatement. But Drawing in the Spring turned out to be a massive success. So much so that I had the resources and client base – largely formed on word-of-mouth – to put on a second series of Spring workshops, and then a series of workshops called Drawing in the Autumn.

I am beyond grateful to everyone who attended my workshops, for putting your trust in me as an educator, and for going with me in the sometimes-silly exercises I put to you. And for giving me the benefit of the doubt when it came to my themed playlists.

“Thank you for a very enjoyable series of workshops. I have never felt so supported in an “arty” environment before, and you really have given me the confidence to keep drawing, and to try out new techniques. You are an excellent teacher and communicator and you consistently created a comfortable environment where I felt able to contribute. This has been the best thing I have done in a long time, and that’s all down to you — thank you!”

— Workshop Participant

And the good news is, Drawing in the Spring will be back for 2025, and early-bird booking is now available.

Learn more

Planet Earth Rock and Roll

After being pushed to be more experimental in my art by the SMQB project, I started to play with ink in water, photography, animation, film editing, and fluid dynamics. This attracted the attention of musician and curator Rory MacLeod, who invited me to create visuals for musician Tim Cross for the Planet Earth Rock and Roll event. I am obsessed with visuals (a teenage-Fliss went through a phase of wanting to be a music-video director), and I loved making my films and seeing them on the big screen behind the musicians. Thanks so much to Rory and to Tim!

Art and Nature Collective

The spotlight on migratory songbirds poster from April of 2024

At the start of 2024, I was invited by Ines-Hermione Mulford to join her newly-founded Art and Nature Collective. I don’t think I’ve ever said yes to something so fast.

Ines is an extremely talented artist and curator and I knew immediately that she would put her heart and soul into the collective.

For me, it has been a transformative experience, allowing me opportunities to exhibit my work in Dundee, learn SO MUCH from my peers, and deliver workshops on swifts, migratory birds, and squirrels and hedgehogs. Thank you to Ines and to all the artists of the Art and Nature Collective.

Thank you notes received from children after delivering a workshop on observing and drawing migratory birds.

Art and Nature Collective Spring Exhibition at the Green Gallery, Dundee Botanic Gardens

Abbeyhill Colonies

I was thrilled to be invited back to the Abbeyhill Colonies for the Colony of Artists event in September, one of the biggest grass-roots art events in Edinburgh. Thanks so much to Kat and her team, and to the literally thousands of people that I met and chatted to over the weekend. What a pleasure, what a treat.

Sett Studios’ Flawd Foiks

Two years ago, I witnessed a strange group of people dressing up pagan style for October, and doing a procession through Leith. One year ago, I tailed along behind them, as a bystander and audience member. This year, I joined them, dressing up for FLAWD FOIKS, a spooky celebration of all that is subversive and folkloric, and exhibiting my own folklore inspired artwork in the exhibition.

All of this is orchestrated by the phenomenon that is Abi Lewis, and the incredible team at Sett Studios, who have rightly been sweeping up awards and attention on the Edinburgh art scene. There is something really exciting happening here, and I don’t exactly know what it is, but if I were you, I would keep a close eye on the art coming out of Leith, a huge amount of which is channelled through Sett.

Above: Flawd Foiks Poster Design by Theo Cleary
Right: The Corn Dolly Clock. Pen on paper.

Impact Arts

Alongside the exhibitions and commissions, I’ve had the good fortune this year to continue working with Impact Arts, a wonderful charity supporting marginalised groups across Scotland through art. The teams at Impact Arts have been so welcoming and dedicated, and it’s genuinely a humbling experience working with the participants of all ages, as well as a great source of joy. Cheers to the team at Impact!

Counterpoint

Drawings of my esteemed greyhound colleague, Alfie Halftail, as well as my slightly silly words about his proclivity towards the Edinburgh Art Scene made it into the utterly charming Counterpoint magazine in December. Thank you to the ever-so-lovely Bethany and Sam for the invitation, and for creating something so gorgeous.

You can order your own copy of Counterpoint magazine at their website.

Thank you

What I haven’t listed above are the private commissions, individual sales, glorious conversations, collaborations with other artists and small businesses, and all the social media interactions that I’ve had this year, alongside the immeasurable support from friends who have kept the faith when I couldn’t find the belief in myself. There was a day of two this year when I seriously thought about giving up, when I couldn’t see a way forward, just for a chance message or a print sale to remind me that I was on the right path.
So, thanks.

Finally…

Like many artists, I rely on Instagram to publicise my work and communicate with my audience. That feels extremely precarious as it means my career is subject to the whims of Mark Zuckerberg and his pals. In a year that I finally left Twitter (find me on BlueSky), I have felt the nervous anxiety of wanting to make sure I can communicate with my audience, no matter the moods of CEOs thousands of miles away. All of which is just to say that in 2025 I’ll be posting (semi) regular blog posts, which I’ll also send out as newsletters, and I’d love it if you could sign up.

Fliss over and out xxx