Author: themshed-admin

Stephen the Seagull is where this collection began. Stephen is grumpy, and that’s okay. He doesn’t think he should hide his feelings because they might make other people uncomfortable. Stephen says “It’s Okay to express how you feel.”

I was going through some really tough life stuff, and the thought of forcing myself to be positive and paint bright happy birds was exhausting. I went looking for a really grumpy bird, something that would express how I was feeling, and when I landed on Stephen, it was just meant to be. The muted tones, greys and darks are all an expression of anger and frustration, and I just poured it into the painting. Funnily enough, I felt a lot better afterwards.

It can be hard to express difficult feelings, particularly if you’ve ever been told that you should present a face of “I’m fine” to the world all the time and deal with your problems in private. That can be really isolating. I resonate with Stephen, because he doesn’t have any such worries. He doesn’t stop to think about whether he *should* express his feelings, he just does.

It’s no secret that when you embrace how you are feeling instead of trying to ignore it, the difficult feelings don’t seem quite so bad for as long. Sharing your feelings with people can be intimidating, but the people who love you want to help you. Stephen’s challenge to you is: “Are you embracing and expressing how you’re really feeling right now?”

Stephen is painted in acrylic, india ink, and charcoal, on canvas collaged with coloured papers and wax pastels. He measures 30 x 22 x 1.3 cm. Initially, there will be 6 x 8 inch prints.

You can hear me talking about Stephen here:

The “It’s Okay” collection is coming TODAY. I’m so excited that release day is finally here!

This is Bobbi the Robin. Bobbi is loud, and beautiful, and absolutely okay with being a presence unlike any other. Bobbi says: “It’s Okay to stand out.”

Bobbi has a secret – before I started the collage background, I wrote all over the canvas. I wrote all my hopes, and my fears, my frustrations, and things I love about myself. Unashamed and authentic expression is the foundation of this painting. The background is painted the colours of the non-binary flag – it’s not exactly in common usage, but if you know, then you know.

I spent a very good chunk of my life trying to fit in. I knew I wasn’t like everyone else but I tried to be, because any time I poked my real head up and said something that someone wasn’t expecting, someone had a swipe at me. I wasn’t particularly happy, and to be honest, I wasn’t very good at fitting in either. Eventually, I decided I couldn’t do it any more. I was going to be real, I was going to be me, and if people didn’t like that, tough. I had to accept that there was a *better* life waiting for me if I owned my voice.

When you stop trying to fit in and you accept that you’re just going to stand out, you find you can do things you didn’t realise. You meet other people who aren’t afraid to stand out, and they encourage you to keep going, even when you’re questioning whether you’re strong enough. You find inner strength and a whole new love for yourself, because you learn what you truly value, and you let go of the things that you don’t. I quit a job that I’d been doing for ten years and now I paint birds. It’s been a wild ride, and the only thing I’d change is that I’d have done it sooner.

Bobbi is a painting about my journey, and I hope they inspire you to take the next step in yours. Bobbi’s challenge to you is: “what amazing things are just waiting for you to be brave enough to own your voice and stand out?”

Bobbi is painted in acrylic, india ink, and charcoal, on canvas collaged with Who Gives a Crap? papers, and wax pastels. They measure 30 x 22 x 1.3 cm. Initially, there will be 6 x 8 inch prints, as well as some very fetching greetings cards.

The “It’s Okay” collection is coming this week!

Nadia has “a resting grump face” – she might look like she’s grumpy about something, but that’s just what her face looks like. She doesn’t care, and nor do any of the other Waxwings (or other birds for that matter). Nadia says “It’s Okay to be who you are.”

I came across Waxwings when I was looking for grumpy looking birds. Unlike the other grumpy birds that are clearly shouting about something, Waxwings naturally look like they’re a bit angry about something all the time. Society so often wants us to present a certain way, but what if you’re not like everyone else? What if you’re super emotional all the time, or you’re not expressive at all? Why should you try and act differently in order to be acceptable to other people?

It can be really tough to love yourself when you’re constantly told that you’re supposed to present differently. Here’s a secret – people who want you to change are intimidated by you – they are actually insecure about themselves. They can’t handle people that make them realise they’re not happy with who they are.

When you love yourself exactly as you are, the people who want to change you don’t hang around, and you’re left with the people who love you just as you are. I speak from personal experience! Nadia’s challenge is “are you changing who you are to fit who other people want you to be, when you could just be yourself?”

Nadia is painted in acrylic and india ink, on canvas collaged with brightly coloured papers and wax pastels. She is sitting on a branch of cherry blossoms. She measures 25 x 20 x 4 cm which is a slightly odd size, so there may only be one size of print, but there will be greetings cards.

You can hear me talking about Nadia here:

The “It’s Okay” collection is coming this week!

This is Jeff the Pigeon. Jeff doesn’t look like all the other pigeons – he’s got a droopy wing and that’s okay. Being different is what makes him special – he’s super memorable because he doesn’t look like everyone else. Jeff says “it’s okay to be different.”

Jeff is painted from a photo I took of a pigeon that visits our garden. Being different doesn’t bother him or any of the other pigeons – he visits with his mate, he eats and flies and potters about our garden like he owns the place. He is accepted. We call all of our pigeons Simon but we gave Jeff his own name because we always know it’s him! (We named him after the character Jeff Winger in the TV series Community.)

I LOVE being different – in my previous job as an engineer, I looked so unlike everyone else that if someone heard me ask a question at an event, they’d come and find me afterwards to talk more. It can be hard, but it’s very satisfying!

The power of being different is that people are drawn to you because there’s just that extra something about you. You know you’re not like everyone else, so why should you try to be? Jeff’s challenge is “what is different about you that you’re hiding because you’re worried that people won’t accept you?”

Jeff is painted in acrylic and india ink, on canvas collaged with brightly coloured papers and wax pastels. He measures 31 x 25 x 1.5 cm, and there will be two sizes of prints.

You can hear my talking about Jeff here:

The “It’s Okay” collection is coming this week!

This is Pico the Toucan. Pico doesn’t think like other birds, and that’s okay. He asks a lot of questions, like “why are things done the way they are?” Pico says “it’s okay to challenge the status quo.” 

Pico is inspired by a bird from a recent film, and the message of that film is “your worth isn’t defined by what you do, but by who you are.” It took someone really special to stand up and say “the pressure we put on ourselves to be perfect all the time is wrong. We need to change the story.” I’ve lived a lot of my life feeling that I was only valued by others when I was achieving things. I might never have changed if someone hadn’t stopped me and said “why do you think that?” Now I can see that lots of people love me just because I’m me, and that’s okay.

Challenging the status quo is really important, because if we never question why we think the way we do, or how we do things, we’re going to miss a lot of wonderful discoveries and all the amazing new stories that are just waiting for us to write them.

Pico’s challenge to you is “where in your life are you giving yourself a hard time because someone says you’re not enough? What status quo is waiting for you to say I’m not going to take this anymore?“

Pico is painted in acrylic and wax pastels on a book page collaged canvas. He measures 30 x 23 x 1.8 cm, and there will be two sizes of prints, as well as greetings cards.

You can hear me talking about Pico here: