“Here are some who like to run. They run for fun in the hot hot sun” – Dr Seuss

Well, it might not have been in the hot hot sun (although it was still very warm!)\ but March welcomed tens of thousands of runners to Cardiff to take part in the Cardiff Half Marathon.
 
Sponsored by Cardiff University, the half marathon takes place twice every year. Although I’ve actually taken part in the run before and wasn’t taking part this time, this year was a significant one for me – I collaborated with the race organisers Run 4 Wales, to produce this commemorative drawing.

My special edition print celebrates the iconic Cardiff landmarks found along the route, including Cardiff Castle, the Principality Stadium, the Norwegian Church, Cardiff Bay, Roath Park Lake, Cardiff University and Cardiff City Hall.
 
It was an absolute pleasure to create this special drawing and it’s been given to many as celebratory gifts, and bought my others as mementos of the effort and preparation required to take part in this kind of race.

Well done to all who took part!
 
View more of my drawings of the great sights of Cardiff here.

“Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own”
– Michelle Obama

Over the years, I’ve had the absolute pleasure and honour to celebrate the lives, careers and adventures of so many special women.
 
These memory boxes represent a cross section of mothers, daughters, grandmothers, wives and sisters.
 
Each tells a story about a person, many of whom are no longer with us. For each box, I work closely with family members to help bring treasured items together so they can be seen and enjoyed, and so memories of lost loved ones can be remembered and cherished. You can see all my memory boxes here.

I work respectfully and sensitively to curate boxes that perfectly capture the essence of the precious stories customers want to share. 
 
If you’d like to hear more about how I create these boxes, read about when I was interviewed on BBC Radio 4 here.
 
To find out more about how to work with me to create a memory box, get in touch here.

“A ship is always safe at the shore, but that is not what it is built for” – Albert Einstein

What an experience! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still tired after exhibiting at Top Drawer London this year - taking yourself out of your comfort zone is daunting and exhausting, but it so so worth it!
 
After initially applying in Autumn 2019, I had to wait for ages because the show was postponed twice due to covid. Then, when it was finally allowed to happen, I wasn’t sure if I was going to get there because of the huge storms battering the UK. Thank goodness that in the end, I made it and so did the many visitors and customers who made their way to Olympia over the three days of the show.

It took eight hours to set up my stand, and I didn’t sit down for four days, but it all went smoothly and I really enjoyed the experience. I met so many amazing businesses, makers and potential new stockists while I was there – hoping to be able to share more about that soon!
 
I also had so many lovely supportive comments from customers, friends and other makers who were excited for me – thank you to every one of you.
 
To stay up to date with what I’ve been up to, preview new work, and be the first to hear about upcoming events, sign up for my emails here.

I started the year feeling reflective, but also excited to see what 2022 brings for my life and my little business. January is always an important month for me, as it marks the anniversary of when I took the plunge to become a full artist.
 
Six years ago, we left the UK and flew to Panama City. We had no real plan, other than we knew we were flying home from San Francisco on the 28th June.
 
We travelled by public transport across 10 different countries, saw some amazing landscapes, wildlife and ancient monuments; met some great people and ate some ok food (Central America isn’t famed for its food – although the pupusas in El Salvador were an exception).
 
While we were there, I kept 2 sketchbooks on the go. One was for documenting everything in insane amounts of detail. I drew where we stayed, how we got there, what we ate and how much we were spending.
 
The second was my ‘nice’ sketchbook, in which I created ‘proper’ drawings. Some of these, such as ‘Havana’, Yosemite and ‘Whale’, are still available on my website.

​“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picasso

By now, you all know how much I love nature and how important preserving the planet is to me. You may or may not know that through my work I have partnered with several conservation charities to whom I make donations each year.
 
I’m so chuffed to be able to say that last year, sales from my Whales and Dolphin collection, my Animals and Birds for Rewilding Britain collection, my hedgehog print and my “Planet Earth” drawing generated a total donation of over £650. That money will go directly into helping protect endangered species in the UK and the wider world.

This is how it works:
 
“Planet Earth” - created for Earth Day 2021, 100% of the cost of this print is donated to the charity partners above (£10 to each charity).

Whales and Dolphin drawings collection - 40% of profits from the sale of this collection goes to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation. In addition, the original drawings have been donated directly to the charity.

Animals and Birds for Rewilding Britain collection - 40% of profits from the sale of this collection goes to Rewilding Britain who do wonderful work in the UK, restoring habitat for wildlife.

If you are an animal or conservation charity and are interested in working with me, please get in touch here – I’d love to find out more about what you do!
 
If you’d like to help the planet by purchasing a print, you can browse and buy from my charity collections here, or by clicking on any of the images above.
 
Thank you so much for your support!

Well what a strange year 2021 turned out to be! I thought it would be fun to take a quick look back and share some of my highlights with you all.
 
On top of all of the brilliant private commissions for drawings and memory boxes that I’ve been lucky enough to work on this year…

I was so excited to have a solo exhibition at the Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw, a beautiful gallery in North Wales.

I partnered with Rewilding Britain to produce a set of drawings to raise awareness of animals that are at risk or extinct in the UK.

I created my Earth drawing, and I’m proud to say that 100% of profits from the sale of this print goes to my charity partners.

A supersized version of my Porthcawl drawing was displayed on Porthcawl pavilion as part of an initiative run by the Anwen Cultural Trust.

I worked with two primary schools who used my art as inspiration to produce their own wonderful pieces. 

I was delighted to create a huge bespoke piece of art that is now displayed on the walls of the maternity ward at The Grange hospital in Cwmbran.

​I also celebrated my second business birthday and gave my website a glamorous makeover, complete with brand new videos!

Thank you so much for your continued support, I’m so very grateful. See you in 2022! :)

When I decided to create my intricate drawing of Cardiff Castle, I decided to take four different views of the fascinating building, and weave them together into one piece.

Very excitingly, a framed version of the drawing was given as a gift to the Princess of Thailand when she visited Wales a few years ago!

Last year I was commissioned by the National Museum of Wales, to create a drawing of the main museum building, which would then be sold in the museum gift shop.

Sitting in a prominent position at the front of the civic centre in Cardiff city centre, the striking building with its Portland stone façade, was opened to the public in 1922. The building holds an impressive collection of art and other artefacts originating from Wales and across the globe. It’s one of the most recognisable buildings in Cardiff, and is much loved by locals and tourists alike.

I really enjoyed working on this project, but it was made especially tricky, as when I was working out the proportions, the building was under scaffolding, which meant I had to work entirely from photos.
 
Alongside the drawing of the main museum building, I was also asked to produce four smaller drawings focusing on small architectural details that can be found within the museum. Both the main print and the smaller drawings are available on my website, and from the museum gift shop.
 
You can find out more about my building drawings here.

​This week I was honoured to give a talk to year 3 pupils at Ninian Park Primary School, Cardiff, whose topic was “What Makes Our World Beautiful?” As part of their work, they were reading “The Great Kapok Tree” a book about rainforest conservation, by author and illustrator Lynne Cherry. They explored the story and the messages behind the book, and then drew characters from the book using my artwork as inspiration. 

During my visit, we also discussed why it’s important to protect wildlife, which animals we could find in our gardens, and how whales and rewilding can help our ecosystems.

 It was such a pleasure to see the work the pupils created – they are filled with pattern and look fabulous!
 
Read more about my work with schools here. 

“Thank you, Beth and Katherine for a fantastic day.”
 
This testimonial came from a lovely participant at the workshop I had the pleasure of teaching at Beth Morris Workshops in Cardiff. 

Called “House Portraits”, I led a group of amazing participants through the process of drawing their own houses.
 
Working through various drawing techniques and of course paying attention to proportion, delegates learned new skills and absolutely excelled.
 
Everyone produced wonderfully detailed finished pieces, and got to take them home as a treasured artwork.
 
You can find out more about my previous workshops for adults here.