Studio Diary - December 2025

Charlotte Wensley
2 days ago
3 min read

Final thoughts for 2025 on finding new creative possibilities in the studio and having the freedom to go for a creative wander.

Abstract black-and-white pattern with bold, curved lines resembling a leaf or feather, set against a speckled background.

My studio time is wandering at the moment - perhaps it's to do with it being the end of the year and there's a sense that some down time is on the horizon! I've been painting, drawing and printmaking l at the same time.

Part of me feels a little 'unfocused' but a bigger part of me feels 'free'. No deadlines looming, no exhibitions planned, just some glorious empty space to start 2026!

I'm looking forward to following new and existing threads and seeing where they take me, reminding myself as I go that creativity isn’t a straight road. It loops, wanders, doubles back and occasionally disappears into the fog. But that movement is part of the process. Each experiment, mistake, finished work, and abandoned canvas teaches us something essential. Over time, the threads of our influences become visible in our outputs, and our creative voice and visual language become clearer, stronger, and more unmistakably ours.

Trusting my instincts in this time of wandering is one of the most essential parts of being creative. When I stop worrying about what the work should look like and start paying attention to what it wants to become, everything changes. My decisions feel bolder, my colour choices and mark making become more certain; and then I see that the work is truly carrying my story.

Reaching a point where we begin to ask “How do I want to do it?” is that moment—quiet, personal, and powerful, that is the beginning of finding a new and unique creative possibilities.

Colorful abstract painting with geometric shapes, houses, and leaf patterns in pink, blue, and orange tones. Paintbrushes and ruler visible.

| Nature Symbols

As I work on my current paintings, which are being given time and space to evolve slowly and consciously, interspersed with other creative side projects, and to give my thoughts some context I've been taking a look at other artists for whom organic motifs are highly symbolic, and an important element in their abstract painting work.

Read Symbolic Nature-Inspired Art

Abstract artwork with overlapping rectangles and circles in blue, black, and white tones. Geometric shapes create a modern, dynamic pattern.

| Monochromatic Colour

I've been letting go of some colour!

I often work with 3 colours but my latest paintings are evolving with a more limited colour palette; they're not quite monochromatic yet...but watch this space!