Name: Jo Fenlon
Instagram Handle: @beige_rainbow_designs
Job Title: Artist (and astrology/human design shiver-giver).
Moved to the UAE in: 2009
Known for her bold style, British artist Jo Fenlon will host a unique art exhibition at Le Meridien Fairway featuring some of her best artworks, popping with shimmers, gold and neon as from 20th March 2023. The showcase will include works titled In Neon We Trust, The Heart of The Matter and Moonscape.
Jo is a self-taught artist who has been living in Dubai since 2008. As a child, she would always be drawing, crocheting or trying to create something. In 2014 she embarked on her journey as an illustrator, creating her own magical rainbow world with loads of colour.
“Painting has allowed me to use every single colour in the galaxy, every day, to speak to the vibrant parts of us that seek adventure and something unique – visually – in perhaps an oftentimes beige world,” explains the artist. Joanne has successfully carved her path and set her trademark upon her creative work as she has developed a very unique visual style.
Her style is reflected in the bold use of shimmers, neon and gold-leaf, layered on a canvas with final works giving texture and depth. It’s happy and supercharged on the highs of a life fuelled by cosmic rainbow delights. Her signature piece ‘The Heart of the Matter’ is an ode to love and among the swathes of neon and drips of darkness, is the beating, gold heart.
Running from Monday 20th March to Monday 17th April, admirers of the artist can enjoy the works in the contemporary and tranquil lobby of Le Meridien Fairway.
Here’s a look at a typical day.
06:00 - All my children are up and getting ready for school, having breakfast, eventually brushing their teeth and watching a bit of Bluey. The continuous please-don’t-hurt-yourself-or-your-baby-sister contact with my younger babies begins.
07:30 - My eldest two are off to school with their dad, so it’s mine and my smaller babies’ time to play and have more breakfast. Overnight oats for me on a good day, marmite on toast on the busier mornings.
09:00 - My baby girl will have her first nap on me (in her baby-wrap) while my two year old plays around us. It’s time for my painting session number one of the day! And plan for any astrology/human design sessions booked in for the week. All her day naps are on me. I try to make working and raising my babes at home to be as cohesive and smooth as possible. ‘If it ain’t broke…’ and all that.
11:00 - I play with both babes, watch a bit of morning telly, meet toddler boy’s multiple cereal requests. See what numerology day I’m on and work around that energy for the day. Post my work to whichever mums Facebook group will have me do so, on any given day.
12:00 - A bit of lunch (leftover two year old’s grub, or an egg-based bowl if we’re out and about). Eggs are a winner for all - they’re so versatile.
14:00 - Collect the kids from school, with the babes, in the heat… It’s not always easy with sweaty top-lips, someone due a nap, and one too many traffic-light queues on our 20 minute journey home, BUT at some point it all aligns, everyone is happy and chilling out together to some music, or a having car-chat. Someone always wants ice-cream or a McDonalds. Sometimes we do; sometimes we go home and have a home-cooked meal, that all will try, with about a 65% success rate for full consumption.
16:00 - I’ll typically share some work from my day, be it an astrological insight or my latest piece of art via a reel on Instagram. I actually love a reel creation; I find choosing the music is just as important as my art! Any spellings, reading, or big life-questions from school happen around now. I’m armed with an open-mind and a keen, listening ear. Everyone wants a piece of their mama, and I genuinely try my best to spread my arms around them all, both physically and emotionally. All 4 of them are so unique (and of course their natal charts confirm that!).
18:00 - Local park-trip with the kids, then home for dinner and a dance with the radio on, to get us all excited and fired up (read: over-tired) ahead of bed.
19:30 - All the babes are in bed. My husband may or may not be at the gym or boxing class. Nobody goes to bed in anything but a peaceful mood, I make sure of that. Time to drop my shoulders, feel gratitude and reflect on the challenges of my day, as my tiny ones drop off to sleep. I’ll listen to a podcast now, usually about astrology, or I might even create a reel (any excuse to create, create, share, and create some more with my friends/clients/community).
20:30 - I might throw an intuitive, in-the-moment splodge of paint on a commission I’m working on as I walk past it on route to various electrical chargers needed in my ‘art studio’ (the kids playroom - it has the best light!). Most of my best work happens when I follow that gut response that shouts ‘yellow there now!’
21:00 - Studying is my meditation, so I’ll often have a little read from any of my squillion astrology, numerology or human design books and reflect on my day as I do. Then a bit of telly.
22:30 ish - Bedtime, with our baby next to me in her little next-to-me cot and two year old in our bed with my hubby and I. I spend 90 seconds wondering if the room is too hot or too cool. Time to get a few hours of sleep in.
01:00 - Around this time is feed number one for my tiny one, while our two-year old moves 360 degree in his sleep throughout the night. I might do Wordle at this time too - nothing like a brain-teaser in the middle of the night to keep you awake with a baby! (I score really well, usually - the more I stimulate my brain, the more peacefully I rest; I’m very much a do-er, even during the night-feeds - and that’s supportive for me, I know it’s not for everyone).
04:00 - I feed the little one again around now. This time I go back to sleep with a larger than you’d expect piece of rose quartz crystal. I ‘drop in’ very quickly and have a lucid dream hour or so and have all sorts of visions when I want an insight or need something on my mind answering. If I don’t do this I overthink and never get back to sleep! Love a crystal moment!
06:00 - It’s a new day. Let’s go!