County Durham woman realises dream of becoming an artist

Dawn Booth-Wilson with her artwork Credit: Stride PR/ Business Durham

A former Inland Revenue officer has opened a new studio and gallery after pursuing her dream of becoming an artist.

Dawn Booth-Wilson, gave up her office job to try a more creative career.

After running her own curtain and blind making business, she did an art and design access course at Middlesbrough College and a degree in fine art at Teesside University.

Dawn, who is from Hamsterley in County Durham, initially focused on large scale, colourful monotype prints – work made by painting onto glass, or metal plates before being printed on an etching press – but the death of her father saw her work take a new direction.

She now has her own new studio and gallery at the Durham Dales Centre, in Stanhope, Weardale, which is run by Business Durham.

While at the Dales centre, Dawn is being helped by the free enterprise programme, Durham Creatives, which has supported more than 90 creative start-up businesses in County Durham.

The Durham Creatives workshops will run until October at the Dales Centre and include:

  • Business Planning

  • Health Wellbeing and Enterprise

  • The Art of Selling; Protecting Your Business Ideas

  • Finance – Understanding the Essentials

  • Food, Drink and Enterprise

  • Selling Overseas Online.

Dawn's shop in Weardale Credit: Stride PR/ Business Durham