Starting a blog

I started a blog on my website. I’m aware it’s 2026, but I recently went back to using my original iPod, so why not go with the era?

One of the real reasons for starting this blog is that for a while I’ve been using my painting titles in a playful way, and it’s time to expand on these ideas so they’re not just vague titles. My first post was a recycled Instagram post about my photo/paintings, and my second post came out of a new exhibition. I was really surprised by how that short text came out, and the ideas naturally led to a third post which grew much larger than I had intended.

This is only a problem because I feel I’m only just finding my written voice. I’m not trained in the academic art system like most of my peers. I was also educated in one of the worst schools in the country, so it’s important that I’m developing my written voice.

I’ve taken Amy Sillman’s advice about starting from a place of spite or negativity. I’ve been writing for a while, including a really caustic take on Ryan Gander’s work which I’m not going to post. But I’m starting to come through this negativity, and I’m genuinely curious to see where it will go.

This is my third completed post, but it’s technically my second, though it probably should have been the first. That’s not really a problem.

The long-term plan is that this can be a place where I can do some serious discussions about painting. I’ve also set up a mailing list (I’ll rename it to something better when inspiration hits). Please add your email and I’ll keep you updated on new work. Don’t worry, I’m not the kind of artist posting about every extended shortlist I get chosen for.

My next post kicked off a follow-up which, as I say, got bigger. I don’t really have the time. I work full time, so my thinking on these issues is small in volume, not ideas. The follow-up will appear as multiple posts. Instead of waiting three months to get to the end, I can start it and develop it in sections, not dissimilar to how I paint.

Thanks,

Mike