Francesca Craggs finds comfort and colour in artist Sally Thompson's Northumberland home.
After reluctantly moving to the North-East from London seven years ago, Sally Thompson has not only developed a real affection for the region but has also launched a career in art.
Her passion for the ever-changing colours of the local land and seascapes inspired Sally to launch her art collection, Colourscape on Canvas, three years ago. Working from her beautiful period home in Eshott, Northumberland, her vibrant canvasses range from the icy pastel colours of the Northumberland winter, to the warm oranges and pinks of tropical sunsets.
Sally, 49, moved to Northumberland from Beckenham, south London, when husband Geoffrey became head teacher of Duchess High in Alnwick. Now head of a school in London, he returns to Eshott each weekend to spend time with their children Tom, 18, William, 15, and Sarah, nine. Surrounded by stunning countryside and complete with tennis court and tree house, the large detached home has provided Sally with the perfect environment in which to raise a family and paint.
She says: "I worked as an art teacher in London for a number of years, but gave it up when I had the children.
"When they started school, I went back to teaching again and it was being in that environment which prompted me to start painting myself. With three children to bring up, painting is a fantastic job which I can do from home and fit around the family. It gives me all the flexibility I need."
Sally describes her minimalist sky, sea and landscapes as somewhere between art and interior design. Painted in acrylic using paint layering techniques, the canvases are available in a range of sizes and are designed to bring together colour schemes of a room.
"My paintings offer something bespoke and individual. I think my art is comfortable and sits easily in any surroundings. It pulls your own colour schemes and environment together. I just love working with colour and find it fascinating to see the range of tones and shades you can achieve.
"Original art has become much more accessible to people, as well as being more affordable. People are more conscious of their own living space and want something individual. I keep my eye on contemporary interior colour schemes, but a lot of the time I just do what I like doing.
"I've never liked wallpaper and prefer to have texture and colour in my rugs, accessories and paintings."
The North-East has proved to be a great inspiration to Sally's work.
"I came to the North-East kicking and screaming and now I would find it hard to leave. It has really inspired my work and the colours are so different from the red buses and black cabs of London. There is so much colour in the landscape to see here. It's that momentary combination of colours that fascinate me," she says.
Sally's work can be seen in a number of the region's galleries, including the Art Chain in Blaydon, the Felton gallery in Northumberland, and online gallery Art Evolution, which supports more than 90 North-East artists. Through Art Evolution, housebuilder Frank Haslam Milan recently commissioned Sally to paint four pieces of work for a showhome at its Castletown development in Sunderland. She also takes private commissions and can visit client's homes to discuss suitable colour schemes.
The spacious house provides a calm and tranquil setting in which Sally can paint, and she has transformed the dining area into her workshop. There is a large family room where the children watch TV, and formal lounge with grand piano which Geoffrey plays.
"I love the sitting room with its open fire. It's light and airy and has a really lovely aspect. The piano is my favourite possession in the house, we bought it when we moved here," Sally says.
"Geoffrey is a fantastic pianist. I also love the kitchen as it has an Aga and is always warm and cosy. I'm very keen on cooking. It was a real change when we moved here as we used to live a just few minutes from M&S. Now it's a 70-mile round trip, so we tend to cook everything from scratch ourselves."
There is a dining room/study housing the family's vast array of books, as well as a lovely spacious hallway which according to Sally, is a great place to mingle at parties and family gatherings.
Sally says: "I think the house dates back to the 17th Century, but it has been added to a lot over the years. It reminds me of a rambling Surrey vicarage. It's a lovely warm and comfortable family home and has been a great place for the children to grow up. I would much rather have a comfortable home than a really fashionable one. It's also a great party house and especially nice at Christmas time. Home to me is the perfect place for all the family to be together."
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Name: Sally Thompson Age: 49 Family: Lives with husband Geoffrey and their three children Tom, 18, William, 15, and Sarah, nine. Educated: Holy Trinity Convent, Bromley, Kent. Southbank Polytechnic, London to train as an art teacher. Career: "I taught art in London and ran my own catering business until having children. I went back to teaching art part-time, when all children were at school. Now I mostly paint, do a little supply teaching and run the home." Dislikes: Bad manners Likes: Being at home with my family and friends. Restaurants and the theatre. Favourite restaurant: "In the North-East it has to be The Barn Restaurant, formerly at the Biscuit Factory, now in Jesmond." Favourite holiday places: Zermatt in Switzerland, and Chamonix Mont Blanc and Antibes in France. Favourite music: "I like jazz standards from the 1930s and 40s, Rachmaninov Preludes for Piano, and Chopin Ballades, especially when played by my husband." Recent and current reading: Dan Brown and Joanna Trollope, Hilary Spurling's Life of Henri Matisse. Dream home: "A beautifully furnished flat in Hans Crescent SW1, an old, but fully renovated country house near Evian in France, or a Palladian mansion in Northumberland."
