Why Tired But Inspired?

Because that’s pretty much me in three words. I’m Nikki Grainger, an artist and mum of three, trying to build a creative life in the middle of a very full one. Most days I’m tired, usually slightly overwhelmed, rarely organised, but somehow still constantly thinking about the next thing I want to make.
Art has always been the thing I come back to. I love portraiture, expressive mark-making and work that sits somewhere between realism and something a little less controlled. Right now I’m experimenting, learning and building a style that feels unmistakably mine.
My studio is currently our dining room, which means painting happens somewhere amongst family life, school runs, half-finished house projects, interruptions and an impressive ability to lose something I was holding thirty seconds ago.
Tired But Inspired is where I share all of it. Not just finished paintings, but the process behind them, the experiments, the good ideas, the questionable ones and the work that teaches me something even when it doesn’t quite go to plan.
I’m drawn to people, emotion and quiet moments. I work across oils, charcoal, ink and mixed media, and I’m especially interested in that point where realism begins to loosen and become more expressive.
I’m still finding my artistic voice, and I want this space to document what happens while I do.