Doug Shaw

Lavender Fields

The Carshalton Artists Open Studios starts in about a week and a half. Having never exhibited before, I’m excited and nervous. Thankfully I am channeling those feelings into creating a few more pieces to show.

This 50cm x 40cm canvas represents the lavender which in years gone by, was farmed all over the place around here. It is an important part of local history, and is still commercially grown in the area today.

Here’s a photograph of the early stages of the painting, and the complete version.

Update : I’ve decided to make this the Christmas 2017 free art drop.

Bend In The River

Having taken a 12 mile stroll along the River Wandle recently, our local river is on my mind again. I’m enjoying making panoramic art at the moment, and playing with slightly watered down acrylic paint. This piece will be my next free art drop.

The Art of Innovation : HR Inner Circle

This week, I spent a very interesting and enjoyable day at the 2017 HR Inner Circle Conference. I got to meet and speak with a lot of interesting people, I heard two friends, Phil and Ian, talk about their work, and I spoke with the audience about exploring and applying the creative process to our work. There will be some video footage emerging sometime soon and if I can unpick a few useful clips, I’ll happily share them. For now though, here’s an annotated version of the slides I used to accompany my session, I hope they prove useful.

The Art of Innovation : HR Inner Circle 2017 from Doug Shaw

In addition to all the interesting conversations, there is another reason why the day was so enjoyable. Daniel Barnett and his team, our hosts for the day, were outstanding. They took great care of all their guests, and made my experience as a speaker a really good one too. Briefings and advice I received beforehand were spot on, and on the day, everything was done to enable me to be at my best. It is unusual to encounter such a blend of good preparation, genuine interest, and great service. Thank you.