There are so many benefits to having an exhibition. I shared this one with my friend and ceramicist, Kirsty Macdonald, at the Gallery at the Playroom in London N19. My paintings and her ceramics complimented one another beautifully. We shared all the tasks needed to be done for the show.

A lot of preparation goes into an exhibition. It can take months to finish the work, frame it, label it, price it, catalogue it and finally get it to the gallery.

There is great satisfaction in finally hanging the finished work. A wobbly ladder is nearly always involved!

I was inspired to paint some animals for my exhibition at The Gallery at the Playroom because it’s part of The Toy Project, a charity run for children. The animals were very popular with the people who visited.

This little horse flew off to Los Angeles with a much appreciated customer!

This little fellow caught the eye of lots of the children and one lovely person who bought it.

Sharing my work with children and adults is part of the joy of having an exhibition.

I did workshops with the children who visited the gallery which were great fun. They chose an animal, drew it and decorated it. I hope to volunteer there over the summer when they do free art sessions for children.

We had a lovely party to celebrate the opening of our show. It was great to hear what our visitors thought of our work.

This painting was inspired by my love of the Cornish sea. It has gone to a new home.

This painting in acrylic was inspired by a long weekend spent in a workshop run by the talented artist, Rosie Harbottle.

I love working in lots of different media. This one is made with oil pastels. I love their vibrant colours.

A collage in mixed media, using painted and found papers, watercolour and acrylic paint and pen.

A detail of a collage I made with painted and found papers.

Detail of an angel holding a small bird against a blue, starry sky in a gentle, folk art style in oil pastels.

A mixed media piece, using pencils, pen and oil pastels.

A burst of colour in oil pastels.

A watercolour painting now sold but available as a card.