An Art To It – Details, episodes & analysis

Artist, Gallery Owner, Creative Force

This week, I’m joined by Sharon Harvey: a painter, gallery owner, and passionate creative, to explore what it really takes to run a commercial gallery while maintaining an active artistic practice.

Sharon shares her winding journey from a successful corporate career into the art world, what led her to study fine art in her 40s, and how a chance conversation changed everything. Now the founder of Sanctuary Gallery in Gloucestershire, she offers a unique dual perspective on gallery-artist relationships, creative confidence, and the realities of selling art today.

We discuss:

- The courage it takes to pivot careers and pursue art later in life
- How becoming a gallery owner reshaped Sharon’s view of working with galleries
- The practicalities and pressures of running a gallery solo
- The power of relationships in both making and selling art
- Why artists need to approach galleries like partners—not just platforms
- And the art of holding your nerve when things don’t sell

Sharon talks about Daphne Vaughn http://daphnevaughan.com who inspired her to apply for the foundation course, and Mercedes Smith Director of Fine Art Communications https://www.fineartcommunications.co.uk/people 

This episode is packed with honest reflections, useful insights, and quiet encouragement for anyone trying to build a creative career on their own terms.

Find Sharon and the Sanctuary Gallery
Instagram: @sharon_harvey_art
Gallery: sanctuarygallery.com

This week, I’m joined by painter, and Byre Gallery regular, Jill Hudson, whose creative life has been shaped by travel, resilience, and an enduring love of the sea. Jill shares her journey from studying at Falmouth art school to achieving an enviable life/work balance, and how experiences like teaching in Uganda and studying in Venice helped shape both her perspective and her practice.

We chat about the realities of running a professional art business - from the challenges of self-promotion and gallery relationships to the delicate balance between commercial work and creative freedom. Jill reflects honestly on what success means to her, the ongoing struggle with admin and marketing, and why she’s finally ready to explore a long-held dream of working in fresco.

We also discuss

• Jill’s early determination to become an artist (despite her careers advisor’s doubts)

• Her formative experience teaching in Uganda

• Studying art in Venice and its lasting influence (not just the coffee!)

• The gentle build of her creative career and gallery representation

• Making art that sells vs making the art you love

• How she manages gallery relationships and adapts work to suit different audiences

• The tension between creative flow and business tasks like websites and self-promotion

• Her plans to explore fresco painting in 2025

As Jill says:
"Success for me is making a living from this — a creative career with inspiration and opportunity. But you have to keep carving it out every day.”

You can see Jill’s work @jillhudsonart and jillhudson.art

Jill talked about https://eu.patagonia.com/gb/en/home/ and paints by michaelharding.co.uk 

She learned about fresco painting a artchoolboas.com with Carey Mortimer.

We have a double delight in this week’s episode of An Art to It: a painter who is also a gallery owners, as I’m joined by Judi Green—painter, curator, and co-director of Cornwall’s Tregony Contemporary, a gallery she runs with her husband Brian Green. 

Judi is a rare and inspiring creative—an accomplished artist in her own right, and someone who brings the same care, clarity, and commitment to nurturing the careers of other artists through her gallery.

In our very entertaining chat Judi share’s her early career in advertising where she she was one of very few female art directors at the time, and how—through decades of design, freelance work, parenting, and painting—she eventually found her way back to fine art full-time. Judi shares how studying at the Slade and the Royal Drawing School re-ignited her practice, and how a deeply personal project inspired by her father’s war service became a pivotal moment in her journey as an artist.

Of course, we also dive into the story of how Tregony Contemporary came to be. What started as a surprising opportunity in a sleepy Cornish village has become a gallery with a fiercely clear vision—showing distinctive, painterly, and often figurative contemporary work that stands apart from the coastal clichés. Judy talks about the move to their new space in St Mawes, curating with conviction, and the joy of building long-lasting relationships with both artists and collectors.

I loved hearing her perspective on what artists really need from a gallery, why showing work in physical space still matters, and what it’s like to balance her dual role as a painter and gallerist. We also reflect on what success really looks like—and how sometimes it’s a beautifully scribbled comment in the visitors' book that reminds you it’s all been worth it.

You can see Judi’s work on instagram @littlerockstuio, Tregony @tregonycontemporary and tregonycontemporary.com

In this episode of An Art to It, I’m joined by Amy Frankie Smith, a ceramic artist and designer whose stunning porcelain lighting and fluid watercolour paintings bring together texture, translucency, and an undeniable sense of place.

Amy’s journey into ceramics began with a degree in 3D Craft at the University of Brighton, followed by hands-on experience in architectural ceramics for conservation. But despite an academic and industry-focused path—including a Winston Churchill Fellowship that took her to New York and Chicago—Amy found herself longing for a more personal creative practice.

She shares how she transitioned from working in conservation and project management to setting up her own studio, where she now creates delicate, timeless porcelain pendant lights and paintings inspired by the sea. We talk about:

• The magic of porcelain and how she discovered lighting as her main medium

• - Why her ceramic work and watercolours are deeply connected

• The importance of finding the right spaces—both in galleries and interiors—for her work

• How she balances creativity and business, including commissions, events, and collaborations with interior designers

Amy also discusses how she approaches marketing as a creative—something many artists struggle with—and the importance of connection, networking, and finding the right people to support your business.

Finally, she shares her thoughts on whether there’s an art to running a creative business—her answer might surprise you!

If you’re an artist or maker looking to navigate the balance between creative passion and business, this episode is full of valuable insights.

You can see Amy’s work on her website www.amyfrankiesmith.com and on Instagram at  @amyfrankiesmith.

Amy also talked about: 

Seagreen Designs www.seagreendesignsco.com

Illustrated Living www.illustratedlivingstives.co.uk

Ethel Loves Me www.ethelloves.me

The Design Trust www.thedesigntrust.co.uk/

Shaping a fresh brand identity is something a younger Laura Wasley might have envisioned—but back then, it would have been for a major fashion house rather than an arts venue and educational charity.

Now CEO of the prestigious Make South West, Laura originally set her sights on becoming a buyer for the iconic London store Harvey Nichols, leading her to study fashion. After a brief stint in visual merchandising at GAP and running her own clothing store, her career took a different turn—one that merged creativity with education.

Laura joined Arts University Plymouth, https://www.aup.ac.uk/ where she played a pivotal role in external projects and student development. Her dedication to helping undergraduates connect with the creative industries, and prepare them for the world after graduation, earning her well-deserved recognition.  

In early 2020, Laura stepped into a new challenge at the Devon Guild of Craftsmen, just as the world was about to shut down. The Covid lockdown made running an arts venue incredibly tough—but it also created the perfect opportunity for something long overdue: a rebrand. Laura led the transformation, working with members and trustees to give the organisation a new identity—Make South West—and collaborating with local design agency 51 Studio https://www.51studio.co.uk/ on a fresh, modern logo inspired by the organisation’s archives.

In our conversation, Laura shares what it’s really like to run a creative organisation that’s also a charity, the ongoing need for funding, and why having a small but highly efficient team is essential.

Harvey Nichols' loss was the South West’s gain!

You can find out more about Make South West at https://makesouthwest.org.uk/ and on instagram at @makesouthwest. 

Nikki Mosley’s stunning paintings - whether her cool, pale and elegant beach scenes or her passionate pink skies - do feel quintessentially Cornish. And that’s no surprise as Nikki lives and works on the Cornwall coast. But it was the other side of the Atlantic where Nikki’s first seriously began her creative journey. After following her husband and his career across the globe, a posting to Houston in Texas allowed Nikki to finesse family commitments with art college.

In this episode of An Art to It Nikki and I chat about her journey to becoming a full time artist. From unfinished art studies at school - a fire drill getting in the way of concluding an ambitious project - through an interior design business and sporadic art classes - creativity has always been part of Nikki’s life. The opportunity offered in Texas to develop her skills and win a place at the prestigious Glassell School of Art in Houston https://www.mfah.org/visit/glassell-school was the catalyst she needed.  Several years later the family returned home to the UK and settled in Cornwall where, like many artists before her, the light and landscape proved an inspiration;  and then securing a studio was the final piece in Nikki’s creative jigsaw.

Nikki shares the development of her practice, and how the cool coastal stretches gave way to pink skies during lockdown as she was finally able to move into her own home studio overlooking the Far estuary and study the morning and evening skies. 

She also reveals how being able to call herself a professional artist is something she holds dear and until she was regularly exhibiting in galleries she felt reluctant to introduce herself as. But with representation with several galleries as well as collectors and fans all over the world, she finally feels that she has achieved the success that she set her sights on. 

Nikki’s gorgeous work will be back at the Byre Gallery this summer @thebyregallery 

You can follow her on instagram at @nikmosley and her website in nicolamosley.com

When you have an artistic eye and a talent for creativity you are often blessed with being able to use this skills in different ways, and Claire Stockings-Baker is a perfect example of a multi-disciplinary artist. 

Sculptural silver jewellery is what Claire is best known for as an artist, but her creative career started in costume design, and print making and painting are still a big part of her life. In our lovely chat - which as fellow dog lovers didn’t actually focus too much on our four-legged friends - Claire shares the creative path that fate as well as passion has taken her on. 

Following a BA in textiles and fashion at Winchester School of Art, https://www.southampton.ac.uk/about/faculties-schools-departments/winchester-school-of-art 

Claire studied costume at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School https://oldvic.ac.uk/, an experience she loved and which launched her career in the theatrical costumes. But falling ill while she was travelling overseas made Claire re-think her work and the lifestyle that having a career in the theatre entails and decided to move back to her native Cornwall.

While working in interior design Claire decided to re-train as a jeweller; but rather than return to art college she taught herself through reading books, watching videos and lots of experimentation. And once she was happy with her creations she didn’t look back.

During our chat Claire talks about her time at the Bristol Old Vic https://bristololdvic.org.uk/ and the productions she was involved with, and how having a costumier’s eye plays a key part in creating her jewellery designs.  Claire also reveals that learning to outsource the parts of her creative business where she knows that others can do it better and more quickly, has been a huge part in making her practice and her business more efficient. 

Claire’s gorgeous work will be back at the Byre Gallery this summer https://thebyregallery.co.uk/collections/claire-stockings-baker

And you can follow her on instagram at @clairestockingsbakerjewellery

You can follow me @elaine_dye_ and the Byre Gallery @thebyregallery

Sometimes a guiding hand is all that is needed to kick start you on a particular path or career, and sometimes fate delivers that in an unexpected way. Visual artist Kerry Louise Bennett knew that she wanted to pursue a career as a painter but it didn’t seem quite achievable; then prompted by misremembering a comment from a friend, she picked up a book in a second hand shop by hypnotist and self-improvement guru Paul McKenna https://www.paulmckenna.com/ called ‘Change your Life in Seven Days’ and focused on achieving the life she wanted to live. 

Five years on, she is living that life, creating beautiful, uplifting and sought after paintings and showing them with highly acclaimed art galleries. How did she end up living the dream? 

In our very entertaining chat, Kerry talks about her creative journey: she excelled at art while at school, but didn’t feel she had the support to take her studies further and instead went down a more academic path. But creativity continued to be a part of here life - either tempting her in for a while, with roles such as a community artist or a trainee upholsterer - or using her creative eye in her PR and communications roles.  Moving house and creating a studio as part of the renovations did prompt her to pick up her paint brushes again and she worked on her art after her young son was asleep. But it was the chance encounter with Paul McKenna’s book that proved the catalyst.

Kerry also shares how having previously invested in a photography foundation degree she didn’t want to spend more money on going back to art college and so embarked on teaching herself via You Tube and text books, and benefited from being excepted on the the New Platform Art programme https://newplatform.art/  She began to share her work on Instagram and soon built up a loyal following of other emerging artists - and found through that a supportive community that she says was just like being at art college. 

Instagram also brought her exposure to galleries and she was quickly signed up by two; and recently fashion and lifestyle retailer Toast spotted her and she was featured in their magazine https://www.toa.st/blogs/magazine/kerry-louise-bennett-artist

You can see Kerry’s gorgeous work on her website https://www.kerrylouisebennett.co.uk/ and on instagram  @land_of_the_grey_and_pink. 

Kerry’s work also features on postcards with Sheffield based https://www.theartpost.co.uk/artists/kerry-bennett

If you could pick the ideal medium to create your art work what would it be? Oil paint, charcoal, … or chocolate? Although painting had been a part of her life for as long as she could remember, it was as a chocolatier that Ashleigh Anne first found creative professional success. 

In our lovely chat, Aisleigh shares her love of creating in all its guises and how following in her family's footsteps into the restaurant and catering world didn’t mean she turned her back on her artistic skills. Encouraged by her grandmother, she excelled at cakes and confectionery and before long was opening a chocolate shop and cafe where her elaborate wedding cakes were much in demand.

Aisleigh reveals that working in the somewhat relentless pressure of the hospitality industry took its toll on her mental health.  A decision to reprise her love of painting and to go to art college to pursue that sadly added to the stress rather than relieving it. But moving away from the chocolate business and finding solace in new jobs in gardening and fitness helped; and then finally a move from Devon over the border to Cornwall made Aisleigh determined to follow her artistic dreams.

We chat about Aisleigh’s work, her inspirations and desires for her practice and how having run her cafe has given her insights into the skills she needed to bring to her creative business. 

Aisleigh also shares that having had her own issues with anxiety has inspired to create art especially for those in need of a tranquil and calming focus.

You can see Aisleigh’s art on her website https://www.aisleighanneart.com/ and on instagram she is @aisleighannecornwallart 

Aisleigh also talked about taking part in the course I offer to artists and makers - An Insider’s Guide to Gallery Success. It’s back this April with a bit of a makeover and some exciting new content, to join the waitlist so you’ll be the first to hear, and get a 10% discount on any course purchased, please visit https://thebyregallery.co.uk/pages/courses-and-coaching

Creativity has always been part of Sarah Pooley’s life. But after completing a degree in textiles her
career took her into the knitwear industry where she found a job she loved designing patterns for a brand of knitting machines. When she started her family having a home based career was
preferable and the beginning of the next chapter in her creative life was in soft furnishings for
interiors. It was her trusty sewing machine that took Sarah on to the next stage of her creative life,
and what she is known for now: her stunning free motion embroidery fine art textiles.

In our very entertaining chat, Sarah talks about her life long of wanting to capture the landscapes
around her in her art, and how fortunate she feels at finding the perfect medium for her to do so.
She shares her coastal inspirations for her work and how her sister’s new career as a ceramicist in
the north east of Scotland gave her, not only a new part of the coastline at the other end of the
country to enjoy but, access to an established Open Studios network to debut her work
https://www.northeastopenstudios.co.uk/.

Sarah also reveals how her creative partnership with friend and visual artist Sharon Bruster
https://sharonbrusterart.co.uk/ developed. With Sarah based in Hampshire and Sharon in Cornwall
it might seem an unlikely way to come together to create art, but with the joys of modern
technology and the more traditional Royal Mail, it has become a successful enterprise for them
both.

There will be a small collection of Sarah’s abstract textiles at the Byre Gallery
https://thebyregallery.co.uk/ this summer, and you can also see her work at the lovely Padstow
Gallery in north Cornwall https://padstowgallery.co.uk/

Sarah is on Instagram at @sarahpooleytextiels