Dr Abbie Cairns

More pencil lines and a little faceless face.

#AbbieCairns #Figures #3Dto2D #Drawing #CreativeColchester

creepy crawly canvas

Pen on wooden canvas. I think I want to add more lines and layers.

And I haven't decided if I am annoyed by the pencil lines yet.

#AbbieCairns #Figures #3Dto2D #Drawing #CreativeColchester

The figures continue to emerge.

Lots of lines, lots of limbs. Some overlapping. A work in progress.

#AbbieCairns #Figures #CreativeColchester #Art #WorkInProgress

Share your reflections, connect with fellow educators and researchers, and contribute to shaping the dialogue.

This week we ask how are school leaders in your context justifying digitalisation?

Paper: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

#SpotlightSundays #JVET

I am in my collage era. I am really enjoying ripping up paper and sticking it back down.

I think it is all about time.

#AbbieCairns #Collage #Time #CreativeColchester #EssexArtist

Notebook sketches on time.

Biro on paper.

#AbbieCairns #Sketch #Doodle #Time #BiroOnPaper

One month to go until the 4th Artist-Teacher in Adult Community Learning Conference with the National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD)!

@nsead.bsky.social

www.eventbookings.com/b/event/maki...

The figures are emerging.

Some notebook doodling.

#AbbieCairns #Figures #Sketch #Art #WorkInProgress

My studio is full of piles of bits that I can't bring myself to throw away.

Maybe it will be art one day.

#AbbieCairns #Studio #ArtStudio #LeftOverArt #OldArt

Just a little stretch

#AbbieCairns #PatchColchester #lines #Figure #DigitalDrawing

Installation day Patch Colchester

Lines Open today until 28th February!

Patch Colchester
24 Trinity St
Colchester
CO1 1JN

#AbbieCairns #PatchColchester #Lines #LineDrawing #ColchesterArtist

Cover of named report.

I’ve been waiting for this to land!

FE’s Teacher Educators. A timely and much appreciated report.

#furthereducation

lnkd.in/eA4chaAS

Big fan of shiny things. Like this letter P.

#AbbieCairns #TinaBullen #Shiny #TextArt #ArtCollaboration

In the studio yesterday being a punk

tina.bullen

Some text, some tape. A definite happy place.

#AbbieCairns #TextArt #TapeArt #Punk ##TineBullen

From digital to biro, getting ready for the canvas.

A little art process.

#AbbieCairns #Sketch #Figure #Yoga #ArtProcess

This week’s Sunday spotlight shines on the theme introduced during this week’s New Text Tuesday.

This week we ask do you think vocational lessons benefit from more structured conceptual scaffolding, or does it risk oversimplifying practical knowledge?

#SpotlightSundays #JVET

Be more tree.

Digital line drawing.

#AbbieCairns #CreativeColchester #LineDrawing #Yoga #DigitalArt

Essential tools.

I am never too far away from a pen or a pencil. Thought, I prefer a pen!

Some lunchtime line drawing.

#AbbieCairns #LineDrawing #PenAndPencil #ArtistTools #CreativeColchester

Some bits of some art.

A little tape collection! Tape by Abbie, doodles by tina.bullen

#AbbieCairns #TapeArt #Studio #ColchesterArtist #TinaBullen

Some warm orange on a cold morning!

#AbbieCairns #Orange #Paint #Collaboration #TineBullen

Let's get digital! (Because the studio is far too cold!)

These little figures are taking over. These are some quick photo edits to remove background and play with placement.

What next?!

#AbbieCairns #CreativeColchester #ColchesterArtist #Figures #DigitalArt

I am pleased to be exhibiting at Patch Colchester this February.

Patch Colchester, 24 Trinity Street
2–28 February 2026
Mon–Sat, 10–4

If you are local, do stop by!

#AbbieCairns #PatchColchester #LineDrawing #ColchesterArtist #Exhibition

I have got arrows on my mind and some big plans for these little sculptures!

3D to 2D to... something else!

The originals are currently on exhibition at Colchester Library. Catch them while you can.

Exhibition: Collaboration of Artists
Dates: 9 January – 27 February 2026

to offer an evidence-informed, practice-focused resource for FE practitioners, teacher educators, and leaders.

How to express interest please complete the short form here:
forms.gle/wFqEcZfo2FJR...

and values throughout their careers. The book explores professional identity within the contemporary FE landscape, drawing on research by Deci and Ryan (2013), Briggs (2007), Freire (1998), Smithers (2017), Rushton (2021), and others. It aims

Call for Participants: Case Studies for The Motivations, Values and Identity Toolkit for Further Education Teachers

I am seeking FE teachers to contribute case studies to a new book that examines how teachers understand, sustain, and navigate their motivations, conflicts,

Exhibition: Collaboration of Artists
Dates: 9 January – 27 February 2026
Venue: Colchester Library Gallery

#AbbieCairns #ColchesterLibrary #ColchesterArtist #Art #Figure

I decided to get tangled up in it. Or rather, I decided to tangle up my falling figure with it.

This installation makes this old work new again, allowing it to tell a difference story and live a new life for the next couple of months!

I enjoy a playful approach to my art practice and took the opportunity to continue to play as I installed my work in the new gallery space at Colchester Library!

The hanging system relies on there long plastic-wire lines and instead of trying to hide the left over length,

It has been a privilege to be invited to exhibit in the inaugural exhibition of the newly renovated Colchester Library Gallery.

Exhibition: Collaboration of Artists
Dates: 9 January – 27 February 2026
Venue: Colchester Library Gallery