Good at colouring in

I love my Aunty Betty, but she does have a way with words that, if I did not love her so much, would wrankle. When I graduated from Chelsea School of Art she told my mother that I had “done quite well really, considering I was only good at colouring in”.

Over the years I have done a fair amount of “colouring in” in many guises, books, theatre, food… all manner of colouring you might say, but I had until recently forgotten the one thing that got me into all this: drawing.
Then I bought an iPad. The iPad opened up a whole new world for me and re-introduced me to drawing with an App called Procreate. I started to draw in it and to paint, slowly at first, stumbling through the program, but gradually gaining confidence and finding my way about.

And I really enjoy it, I love getting back to that first love and especially as it is so clean and portable, unlike my much neglected box of watercolours and tube of brushes that languish at the back of a cupboard.
I started drawing from life and then capturing scenes on camera as I went about my day to later use as inspiration. It was one such scene that I turned into a painting of the Theatre Royal Brighton where I am a regular reviewer. The Theatre Royal Brighton is one of my favourite buildings in Brighton and it holds so many wonderful memories for me. Over the years I have built a strong bond with the team there, they look after all reviewers so well and we are made to feel welcome (even if we occasionally declare that a show is a resounding flop).

Pleased with my Theatre picture I decided to send it to them. They liked it too and when I gifted them the image and said they could do with it what they wished, between us we hatched a plan.

Now prints of my impression of the Theatre Royal Brighton are being sold by the Theatre to fund a project to promote young writing talent in Sussex.

“New writing is vital to the future of British theatre, and it is something that I am passionate about”

The Theatre is initially selling high quality unframed prints as a limited edition and will then reproduce further copies in postcard size.

Proceeds from sales will fund Theatre Royal Brighton Young Playwrights scheme, which the Theatre is running in partnership with New Writing South. The scheme will help foster writing talent among writers aged 16-24 and Latest.TV Brighton will be joint sponsors of the scheme.

I captured this view of the exterior of Theatre Royal Brighton before an evening performance. It was a dismal wet autumn evening but the glow from the theatre was filled with promise. I am now delighted that my picture promises to fund an education project for young playwrights. New writing is vital to the future of British theatre, and it is something that I am passionate about.

The prints, made on high quality German art paper to archival quality are A3 in size and will be signed and numbered by me. If you would like to buy a limited edition print, priced at £45 each, then contact bridiewilliams@theambassadors.com,
01273 764405, 9.30am–5.30pm Monday to Friday