In March I took a dye painting course with Hollis Chatelain at Asilomar in California. It was an incredible two weeks, with an abundance of hard work, wonderful people, and beautiful walks.

I had dye painted before, but the instruction from Hollis was what I needed to be truly effective with it. Those two weeks were invaluable.

When I came back I began painting Kelly. I can’t thank my family enough for agreeing to survive without me for two weeks, and then supporting me in disappearing into the studio at every opportunity when I returned.

One of the most challenging parts of dye painting is estimating how much a colour will lighten or change when washed out. You can see how much the colours changed in this piece. First is a picture of it mid-painting. Then the same area after it has been washed.