Hi, I’m Caitlin Isabel Hanmore, born in Derby, England, 2004. Art has never just been a hobby for me — it has always been my anchor, my escape, and the one place where the world finally makes sense.

Growing up, I often felt out of place. I struggled to understand the rhythm of society and the expectations people seemed to follow so effortlessly. At school, standing out made me a target for bullying, so I spent most of my time tucked away in quiet corners with a sketchbook in hand. Drawing became my refuge long before I ever touched a paintbrush.

My mental health has shaped a lot of my journey. Some days, life feels heavy and overwhelming, and creating art is one of the few things that brings me back into the moment. Even during the times when I’ve pushed art away because I didn’t have the emotional capacity to keep going, it’s always waited patiently in the background. No matter how hard I try, I simply can’t turn away from it — I always return to that brush or pencil.

One of my diagnoses is autism, and although it makes many aspects of life challenging, I’ve also come to see parts of it as a superpower. It sharpens my eye for patterns, textures, and details, and those qualities flow naturally into my work. When I paint, the world becomes a series of layers, colours, and rhythms that connect in ways words never could.

I fell in love with oil painting at 17, and it has been my main medium ever since. I’m especially drawn to birds, animals, Harley Quinn, and the quiet beauty of windmills. These subjects let me explore character, emotion, movement, and stillness all at once.

One of my most memorable experiences as an artist was visiting the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. I stood in front of each painting for so long that I lost myself in the brushstrokes — imagining how the artist worked, the order of their layers, the thoughts behind their choices. It felt like seeing inside their minds just for a moment.

My art shop is a piece of that journey. A place where I can share the things I see, feel, and imagine