All In A Name

I am very excited to be launching my own range of stencil paints, developed because I couldn’t find stencil paint in the colours I wanted to use.

The starting point was to mix the colours which I did in my studio using gouache paints. It reminded me of my early days working in textile studios when I would have to mix paint to match swatches of fabrics, adding a touch of yellow here or the merest hint of green there. Once happy with the colours I cut the swatches in half and sent a pack off to the paint manufacturer.

The next step was to name the paints which took a lot of time and a lot of procrastination. The stencils are all named after my travels in India and initially I intended  to continue with the global theme, but eventually settled on travels closer to home, around the UK, mostly in England. As a child, our many holidays and weekends away consisted mostly of camping in the rugged landscapes of Devon and Cornwall. I have many happy memories of beach combing or visiting ruined castles. As an adult living in London I have fallen in love with the pretty towns along the South coast.

Each of the paint names have a little story which you can read about below and you can find the paints here.

Whitstable:

This soft white paint is named after the clapboard houses and the famous Oyster festival held in this pretty seaside town on the south coast of England.

Purbeck:

The sand on beaches on the Isle of Purbeck is the palest colour that sand could be. It is a place I have returned to many times for summer picnics and long, blustery winter walks.

Driftwood

Battered by the sea and bleached by the sun, Driftwood is named after the colour of the pieces of wood I have often collected on early morning beach walks.

Tintagel

With claims to be the site where King Arthur was conceived, this grey stone castle sits precariously on the cliff top in Cornwall.

Pendeen

Named after the soft grey cornish mist which rolls in from the sea. The sunniest of Cornish days can slowly emerge from this pale grey mist.

Gardenstown

Set on the north east coast of Scotland this fishing village holds memories of happy New Year holidays spent with good friends and several failed attempts to launch a Chinese lantern over the steely grey sea at midnight!

Hastings

This deepest of charcoal greys is named after the fisherman’s huts which nestle on the fisherman’s beach in Hastings.

Southwold 

Named after the pretty painted beach huts at this seaside town in Suffolk. On a good day there is a pretty blue sea!

 

Clovelly

A visit to this little seaside town in Devon involves a very steep walk down to the harbour filled with colourful fishing boats.  As a child I remember discussions at the top of the hill as to whether my great aunty May would make it!

Lighthouse

Named after the bold red stripes on the lighthouse in Happisburg in Norfolk. As a student I used to stay in a cottage on the cliff top in front of this lighthouse.