My Dad was a sailor, an antique restorer, could paint, play the accordion and mouth organ (self taught in all). He was an eccentric and he taught me so much. And so begins the story about me.

My love of nature & the countryside was nurtured through a childhood living in a small Suffolk village. I spent vast amounts of time mucking about by the river or sailing on it.

This creative path I have taken has been long and varied and it has interspersed my life throughout the decades.

A love of birds, books & poetry

As a child, I suffered from severe asthma that resulted in long periods off school. Encouraged to read by Mum, a love of books, birds & poetry was born, not to be fully re-discovered until my 50’s as ‘life got in the way’. A love of drawing and painting watercolours was born from the gift of an illustrated poetry book given by Mum & Dad for my 10^th birthday. Many hours were spent copying the beautiful drawings and I still tressure this book to this day.

I left school at 16 and went to work for Lloyds Bank and then for a large reinsurance firm. I ‘dabbled’ with different past times – a bit of sewing (hand-made curtains), cross stitch and some watercolour painting.

My 2 lovely sons were born in my 20’s. This was a difficult period of my life. Thankfully that all changed when I met my now husband in my 30’s. We moved to Lancashire and never looked back. I went back to paid employment and worked for the Crown Prosecution Service.

Life in Lancashire has been very good to me and my boys, who settled and grew to be independent working men who I am very proud of.

a creative business of my own

In 2013 I finally got my chance to develop the creative urges I’d forgotten all about. I left paid employment to start a business, designing and making bags. I taught myself from books and the brilliant website, U-Handbag.

Since that time, my creative path has morphed to textile artist; watercolourist and now to my passion of abstract mixed media art & a reignition of my love of poetry. All of these I have taught myself as I have gone along.

In 2022 I took a free abstract art taster course with acclaimed abstract artist Judy Woods. This experience showed me something miraculous and unexpected, so much so, I took a leap & invested in myself, signing up for a year’s art course and mentorship.

The thread that weaves through

Throughout my creative journey, my love of nature, in particular birds and the landscape & words has been the thread weaving through.

I am extremely fortunate to have a caravan in the beautiful South Lakes, Cumbria where I get to spend much of the spring and summer. This place  is the constant inspiration for my work. Our van overlooks the Leven Estuary and it has become to feel like my spiritual coming home.

You can read more about my early creative choices in My 1st Blog, My ‘Why’ and the influence my dad had on my life.

Susan Mills