Buying art for someone else can feel intimidating. You might find yourself asking things like ‘What if they don’t like it?’, ‘What if it doesn’t go with their decor?’ or ‘What if they never hang it?’. These are all reasonable concerns so I am here today to help you ask some more constructive questions that will help you to find the perfect piece for that special someone.

There are a number of factors to consider - the recipient’s tastes, what brings them joy and what they want their home to feel like. You might also consider whether they own their home as this may affect how they hang the artwork.

Here are some key questions to drop into conversation or ask yourself about that person.

• Where’s your happy place?

• How do you want to feel when you get home?

• What colours make you feel that emotion?

As the seasons change, I’m always drawn to the shifting colours and textures that appear in nature — from the glow of late autumn light on the coastline to the soft pastels of winter mornings. These changes inspire every piece I create: the sense of calm that comes from standing still in a landscape, and the quiet energy that stirs beneath it.

This Christmas, I wanted to bring that same feeling into gifting — with a collection of hand-printed artworks designed to share colour, warmth, and connection. Whether you’re looking for a thoughtful stocking filler or a statement piece for someone special, here are a few ways to make your gifts truly meaningful this season.

From a very young age, I fell in love with art - initially in the sense that I loved to create it. I loved to paint, draw, print, make a wonderful mess with pretty much any material I could get my hands on.

I remember first feeling a sense of ‘success’ in art when my primary teacher, Mr Biggin, set up a still life table and could not stop telling everyone how amazing my drawing of a flower was. That experience has never left me, although my parents and I are baffled as to where that sketch (lovingly framed and displayed) has gone. It almost doesn’t matter because the feeling has always stayed with me - that feeling of pride and of bring joy to others with something that I made.

As I progress through school, I became more aware of famous artists (all dead of course) but the scale of things that I saw on school trips to galleries and the way these creative should were revered stunned me. Still, it was a hobby and I never considered that I would make a career out of it because ‘art ids only worth something after they’re dead.’ This is a phrase I heard from many adults, presumably in an attempt to help ,e understand it wasn't;t a proper job and not get my hopes up too high that they would be shattered.

There are a few early gallery experiences that I recall, including a day trip to London galleries with college - my effervescent and eccentric tutor Bev leading the way never lacking energy and passion. I grew up not far from Liverpool so I was aware of the Tate Gallery from a young age,. Having said that, it didn't;t feel like a building I could enter, we just saw it when we visited the fudge shop on the docks. In high school, however, I finally made it through the rotating doors. I was in total awe - the scale of the place, the variety of art, not just in frames but also sculpture, projects and much more, and the fact that some of these people were STILL ALIVE!!!! On that trip, I discovered the joy of an art postcard, collecting a little bit of the creative genius to take home.

Some artists have stuck with me more than others…

Many of us are spending a LOT more time in our homes than we were this time last year so it’s important that it’s a place that we love being in. I must admit that we decorated our home in a rush before our child was born and haven’t really touched it since. There are definitely things I want to change. How about you?

Change Can be Good…One really simple way to make a change is to fill your home with art that makes you smile. So what is your thing? Is it colour, nature, monochrome, metallics? Funnily enough I have something to satisfy each and every one of those desires.