Published in the Express and Star
For 20 years fine art graduate Jodie Oakeshott didn’t pick up a paintbrush
But now she has recently rediscovered her love for painting and is spending every minute she can at her easel.
“I had always talked about painting my son’s portrait and would joke that he would probably be 16 by the time I got round to it – he was actually 17,” says Jodie, who lives in Kinver.
It could be said that art is in her blood because Jodie was taught to paint by her grandad, who was a watercolour artist and enjoyed painting animals.
“My dad’s really good at art. He is colour blind so he does a lot of scraper foil, pencil and pen work rather than colour,” she says.
Jodie graduated from the University of Wolverhampton with first class honours degree in 2005 but she didn’t dream of being an artist – instead she said her sights on being a curator.
“I wrote to every museum and art gallery within a 50 mile radius to ask if they had any jobs available,” she explains.
Jodie was delighted when she was invited to an interview at the The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and later accepted a job as an education development officer.
“Part of the work I did was project management and I went on to have a career in project management,” says Jodie.
Two years ago, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and turned to crafts such as lino printing as a way of relaxing and taking her mind off her treatment.
In April this year, Jodie underwent further surgery for suspected kidney cancer that turned out to be benign. During her recovery, Jodie was encouraged by her husband to try painting again.
“I picked up a paintbrush and I painted my son’s portrait – and I thought: why haven’t I done this for 20 years?”
Since then Jodie, who works with oil paints, has created 18 paintings which she says have taken a collective 354 hours to complete – an average of 19.6 hours per piece.
“I’ve absolutely fallen in love with it – I’m spending as much time as I possibly can painting,” explains the 43-year-old.
Her varied subjects range from portraits and still life to plants, animals and birds and one thing they all have in common is that they are very colourful.
“I love colour and I love detail. A lot of my paintings have quite bright and bold backgrounds. I like to push the boundaries with colour. I like to include fine details like the reflections in glass,” she says.
Jodie, who is accepting commissions for paintings, has decided to share her art with the world and sell her work.
Some of her prints are on display in local cafes and one of her pieces has been showcased in an art magazine.
To help get up and running, she attended a free two-day business start-up workshop with specialists Good2Great.
“I’ve met loads of other creative people and others who have been great to share ideas with along the way, “ she says. Jodie has recently branched out into using gouache to take part in the Pantone Challenge, which has been running online. Artists have been creating miniature paintings on top of different coloured Pantone postcards.
“I’m a bit late to the party because the challenge has been running for a while but I wanted to give it a go. Gouache is paint is quite different to what I’m used to working in oils but I liked the challenge of using and learning a new medium,” says Jodie.
She will be displaying and selling her work at a small business market taking place tomorrow, from 12pm-4pm, at Green Duck Brewery in Stourbridge.
Meanwhile, her painting “Ale have a French Fancy” has been selected to be exhibited at the Samuel Johnson Museum in Lichfield as part of Lichfield Festival of Folk Arts Competition. The painting will be on display with other works on the theme of Ale and Cake from September 27-October 5.
For more information about Jodie’s work, see www.instagram.com/Jodie_oakeshott_artist and for details about Good2Great’s business workshops visit our Start Up Page
