Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
This week in the studio, I find myself returning to abstraction as I prepare work for an upcoming exhibition — working through a series of abstract collages and trying to bring them closer to resolution.
I also work on a large painting and I hit a familiar problem: it just isn’t working.
Instead of abandoning it, I slow down and think through what’s actually wrong — looking at composition, contrast, and what the painting needs next. These moments are frustrating, but they’re also where the real breakthroughs happen.
Because the truth is, mistakes in painting aren’t really mistakes at all. They’re information. They show you what isn’t working — and if you stay with it long enough, they often lead you directly to the solution.
This video is part studio process, part artist diary — following a week of making, thinking, walking, and noticing. There’s Riley, early spring here in the UK, and sneak peek of the gallery where I’ll be showing this work (more to come!).
If you’re an artist trying to find your way through uncertainty, or learning how to trust your own process, I hope this gives you some encouragement to keep going — and to keep choosing what brings you alive.
🎨 The Artist’s Diary is my ongoing vlog series about life as an artist in the north of England — the experiments, the hard bits, the surprises, and the honest reality of making art day after day.
If you enjoyed this, join my weekly artist's newsletter at louisefletcherart.com/newsletter-artists.
You can also find me:
On Facebook at facebook.com/louisefletcherart
On Instagram at instagram.com/louisefletcher_art
And on my podcast at: louisefletcherart.com/for-artists/podcast
#TheArtistsDiary #abstractart #abstractcollage #collageart #intuitiveart #expressiveart #paintingprocess #artprocess #creativeprocess #artistlife #studiojournal #studiovlog #artvlog #contemporaryart #modernart #painting #painter #compositioninart #contrastinart #trusttheprocess
This week in the studio, I find myself returning to abstraction as I prepare work for an upcoming exhibition — working through a series of abstract collages and trying to bring them closer to resolution.
I also work on a large painting and I hit a familiar problem: it just isn’t working.
Instead of abandoning it, I slow down and think through what’s actually wrong — looking at composition, contrast, and what the painting needs next. These moments are frustrating, but they’re also where the real breakthroughs happen.
Because the truth is, mistakes in painting aren’t really mistakes at all. They’re information. They show you what isn’t working — and if you stay with it long enough, they often lead you directly to the solution.
This video is part studio process, part artist diary — following a week of making, thinking, walking, and noticing. There’s Riley, early spring here in the UK, and sneak peek of the gallery where I’ll be showing this work (more to come!).
If you’re an artist trying to find your way through uncertainty, or learning how to trust your own process, I hope this gives you some encouragement to keep going — and to keep choosing what brings you alive.
🎨 The Artist’s Diary is my ongoing vlog series about life as an artist in the north of England — the experiments, the hard bits, the surprises, and the honest reality of making art day after day.
If you enjoyed this, join my weekly artist's newsletter at louisefletcherart.com/newsletter-artists.
You can also find me:
On Facebook at facebook.com/louisefletcherart
On Instagram at instagram.com/louisefletcher_art
And on my podcast at: louisefletcherart.com/for-artists/podcast
#TheArtistsDiary #abstractart #abstractcollage #collageart #intuitiveart #expressiveart #paintingprocess #artprocess #creativeprocess #artistlife #studiojournal #studiovlog #artvlog #contemporaryart #modernart #painting #painter #compositioninart #contrastinart #trusttheprocess
