The aroma of a freshly brewed coffee mingles with the chirping chorus of birds in a sun-kissed Algarve cafe. These feathered bandits are fearless, snatching crumbs from unsuspecting patrons. While my usual holiday sketches depict botanical illustrations or lovely landscapes, this Portuguese trip ignited a new passion for bird drawings: capturing the playful spirit of these cheeky creatures.

Finding inspiration can feel daunting as winter blues linger and the world outside turns grey. But fear not, creative thinker, dive into a visual feast from the comfort of your own home with these 9 stunning art books. From gorgeous illustrations to captivating photography, these tomes will ignite your creative fire, fuel your artistic journey, and be the perfect eye-feasting experience.

In fine art, inspiration often strikes in unexpected places, weaving its way into our creative endeavours and shaping the essence of our work. The seeds of inspiration for my latest collection, Bottle & Branch, have emerged from three key influences: brushes, clarity and folk art. The developing collection is a still-life exploration into glass bottles, branches, pattern design and the pursuit of simplicity.

As a contemporary fine artist, I am constantly looking for new ways to inspire my work. A favourite sources of inspiration is nature. The beauty and diversity of the natural world can be a powerful source of creativity. Spending time in nature helps open my mind to new ideas, unexpected colour palettes and has the added advantage of encouraging positive mental wellbeing.

In my experience a good fine art collection is generally created out of sheer determination and hours of playing with paint. But in order to get to that bit something has to happen first. A vital spark. The trigger that sets the wheels of inspiration in motion. Finding that spark is something I love, especially when it comes from a single sketchbook drawing.

Just to be clear, lilac is not my favourite colour. In fact it’s way down my list of not favourite colours. However, being a fine artist who loves colour, I enjoy collecting them. Taking photos that catch my eye is like creating a mobile Pantone colour chart on my phone. Lilac accents keep popping and I’m not entirely sure why?

Surrounded by lush foliage, in a charming North Yorkshire garden, artist Jan Wilkins invited Little Bird and I to make cyanotype prints. As part of a fine art skills swap, Jan kindly gave us the opportunity to explore this curious blue technique. Arranging gathered flowers and leaves on light sensitive paper we had first hand experience of one of the earliest forms of photography.