North Tawton artist Celia Olsson has opened up about her creative process as she prepares for next month's 2024 Devon Open Studios.

Celia draws her inspiration from the landscape around her, particularly Dartmoor, which has been special to her since childhood. She often practices "landscape bathing" while walking on Dartmoor, in a Devon Valley or woodland, or while travelling to other places to capture their essence before returning to her studio to create artwork based on her memories.

"I frequently can't find the words to describe it, but my fingers itch to paint it – especially the colours," she said.

Celia mainly works with watercolour but likes to incorporate various media, including ink, pastels, collages, photographs, or items from the kitchen cupboard.  One of her favourite expressions is: what if I….?.   "Sometimes the experiment works, sometimes it doesn't, but it's always fun," she said. "I often have no plan when I start but experiment with ideas, and at some point, a kind of magic happens, and I know what the painting will be about.  It could be of a particular place, or it could portray a feeling of the landscape.  For instance, walking on the moor, you see a rain cloud – is it coming my way? Will I get wet?"  

Celia added that she is looking forward to welcoming visitors to her studio (W22) during Devon Open Studios (September 7-22) and showing members of the public her working method.

She is not open on Wednesdays or Thursdays, Sunday 8 or 22, and Saturday 21.