A New Creative Chapter: Resident Artist at Melancoose

For a long time, I thought the next step in my creative journey was a bigger studio.

More space.
More room to grow.
More separation between home and work.

But over the last few months - particularly through studying on the Porthmeor Programme at St Ives School of Painting - I’ve realised something important: I actually create best in solitude.

My home studio has quietly become exactly what I need for my own painting practice. A place to think, experiment, reflect and create without distraction.

What I’ve really been craving is something different.

Not a bigger studio…but a deeper connection between creativity, nature, restoration and people.

I’ve also realised that my work has never really just been about painting the ocean.

It’s about how the elements make us feel.

The feeling of sea air against your skin.
Sand beneath your feet.
The calming rhythm of water.
Warmth, movement, stillness, texture, memory.

Water has always been my strongest pull, but I’m increasingly aware of how earth, air and fire are woven through both my artwork and the experiences I want to create for others.

Without fully realising it, I’ve instinctively been exploring these themes for years:
– painting with reclaimed textiles and natural materials
– using seawater within my process
– incorporating sand, ash and texture
– creating experiences centred around the coastline, movement and restoration

And now it feels like all those threads are finally connecting.

Which is why, from 1st June, I’ll be stepping out of my studio space at Lanteague - a place that has played such an important role in my journey over the last chapter of my business.

I’ll always be grateful for that chapter and the creative community it gave me. And it’s not the end of Bella Wilm and I working together, just the beginning in fact. It’s a relationship I will treasure and continue to nurture for many, many years.

But I’m incredibly excited to now be joining Melancoose as Resident Artist for the summer.

Nestled amongst woodland and nature near Newquay, Melancoose feels deeply aligned with this new direction - a place where creativity can become less about pressure or perfection, and more about connection, atmosphere and restoration.

While my personal painting practice will continue from my home studio, Melancoose will become a space for immersive artist-led experiences designed to help people reconnect with creativity in a slower, more sensory way.

This summer, we’ll be launching:
– Creative Reset Club — relaxed creative evenings combining guided art sessions with woodland spa experiences
– Elemental Retreat Day — immersive day retreats inspired by creativity, nature and the elements
– Artist retreats and workplace creative wellbeing experiences
– Slower conversations and content around creativity, water connection and restorative living

Private collector appointments and painting viewings will also continue throughout the summer, both from my home studio and within the spaces at Melancoose by appointment.

More than anything, this feels like the beginning of a more aligned way of creating and connecting.

A slower pace.
A deeper atmosphere.
A space for creativity to become restorative again.

And honestly?

It feels like I’m finally bringing all the different parts of my world together.

Gem

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