The Art of Noticing
This is one of my favourite photos. The composition in layers, stacked with colour and texture. One of my boys and his dad in the sea together, and the tufty bunny tails on the dunes. The ocean and the dunes are regular guests in my paintings, and they start with noticing and capturing little moments like this.
Most of my paintings start long before I ever pick up a brush. They begin with a moment, a flicker of light on a footpath, the shape of wind in the grass, the way colours shift as the day changes. If I’m lucky, I have a sketchbook, camera or my phone nearby. But often, the process begins simply by paying attention.
Noticing is at the heart of my practice. It’s how I connect to a place, and it’s where most of my ideas live quietly before they ever become art. A painting isn’t a grand plan for me; it’s a slow conversation between what I see, what I feel, and what ends up on the page.
Sometimes that means capturing the rhythm of people walking through a city street. Other times it’s the tangled movement of plants by the sea. I don’t always know where a drawing or painting will end up, I just follow the shapes, the gestures, the marks. And somewhere in that process, the work reveals itself.
It’s the same principle I love encouraging kids (and adults) to explore. Art doesn’t have to start with a big idea or a perfect plan. It can begin with a walk, a question, a colour you can’t stop thinking about. Creativity is built in those small, curious moments, and the more you practise noticing, the more those moments appear. It can be in a selection of little treasures picked up on a walk.
To help kids in noticing the world around them, I’ve made a simple printable journal page you can use on walks, in the garden, or even from your window. It’s an easy, creative way to practise observation and turn small moments into inspiration. Each time you print and use this page, it becomes a new window into your child's world, a record of tiny wonders, changing seasons, and curious details that might otherwise slip by.
Download your journal page here.
Print a bunch to keep in a folder, ready to go when the moment strikes.
Want to explore more? I’ve shared creative lessons and resources designed to spark that same curiosity at home, or you can browse my latest art prints here and bring a piece of that noticing into your everyday space.