Welcome to The Stick the Kettle On Society

If you’ve found your way here to The Stick The Kettle On Society welcome.

Scan Me and I’ll explain all about The Stick The Kettle On Society

Whether you’ve discovered me through one of my paintings, picked up a Stick the Kettle On kit, or scanned the little QR code tucked inside a box, I’m delighted you’re here.

I’m Sue – an artist, storyteller and incurable observer of the little things that make ordinary lives extraordinary.

For over thirty years I’ve painted the people who often go unnoticed. The chapel ladies. The farmers. The neighbours. The women who always knew everyone’s business before Facebook did. Again and again, people would stand in front of my paintings and say, “That reminds me of my Auntie Joan…” or “Our dad did exactly that.”

Then something interesting happened.

I realised the real artwork wasn’t just hanging on the gallery walls.

It was walking around the room.

People who’d never met before were swapping stories, laughing at family sayings, remembering daft holidays, burnt dinners, impossible neighbours and the little moments that somehow become the stories families tell for decades.

That’s when The Stick the Kettle On Society was born.

Why?

Because life gets busy.

Visits to parents, grandparents and neighbours often begin with the same well-meaning questions.

“Taken your pills?”

“Need anything from the shops?”

“What did you have for tea?”

Important questions… but perhaps not the ones that uncover the stories your family will still be laughing about in twenty years’ time.

I wanted to create something that helped people ask better questions.

Questions that lead to unexpected confessions, forgotten adventures, family legends, favourite recipes, first dances, disastrous haircuts, impossible bosses, treasured traditions and those wonderfully ordinary memories that become priceless once they’re shared.

The Stick the Kettle On Kits

Each kit is designed to help conversations flow naturally.

No pressure.

No interviews.

Just a brew, a bit of curiosity and questions that gently unlock the memories people often don’t realise they’re carrying.

Whether you’re visiting Mum, Dad, a grandparent, an elderly neighbour or an old friend, the aim is wonderfully simple:

To spend less time making conversation…

…and more time discovering it.

More than Conversation Cards

The Society has grown into something much bigger.

Some families ask me to turn those conversations into beautifully written stories.

Others commission portraits inspired by the people behind the memories.

Some create keepsake memory boxes filled with photographs, little treasures and handwritten stories.

Others ask me to create birthday celebration quizzes or family memory collections that everyone can enjoy together.

However people choose to remember, the heart of it remains the same.

Celebrating ordinary lives before those stories quietly disappear.

Visit My Welsh Studio (click here to enquire)

If you’d like to experience it in person, you’re warmly invited to visit my little studio tucked away in a peaceful Welsh valley.

We’ll put the kettle on, enjoy tea and cake, wander amongst the paintings and spend an afternoon uncovering the funny moments, family legends and little stories that deserve to be remembered.

Afterwards, I’ll write you a beautifully crafted short story capturing the memories we’ve uncovered together.

From there, if you’d like to explore further, we can also create memoirs, portraits, keepsake boxes or other lasting ways of celebrating someone special.

No rush.

No pressure.

Just time well spent.

Join Us

The Stick the Kettle On Society isn’t really about tea.

It’s about people.

It’s about slowing down long enough to notice the stories hidden inside ordinary lives.

Because one day, the things you’ll treasure most probably won’t be what someone owned.

They’ll be the stories they told, the laughter you shared, and the afternoon you decided to stick the kettle on.

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About Author

Sue Dewhurst is a UK-based contemporary artist specialising in characterful “Owd Lasses” paintings and vibrant rural and coastal scenes inspired by the Yorkshire Dales and West Wales. Her work captures working-class humour, nostalgia, and the grit of everyday life, from bingo halls to windswept farmland. Sue creates original paintings, limited edition prints, and bespoke commissions, collecting stories as much as she paints them. Her artwork is collected by those who value wit, heritage, and connection to place. Explore available work or commission your own Owd Lass at suedewhurst.co.uk.

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Studio Visits

My studio is open by appointment, offering a relaxed chance to see the work up close, talk through ideas, and spend time with the paintings in the space they’re made. Visitors are welcome to browse finished pieces, view works in progress, and ask questions — no pressure, no white gloves, just an honest look at the process behind the work. If you’re considering a particular painting or commission, a studio visit allows time to connect with the story, the colour, the humour and the detail that doesn’t always come through on a screen. Expect conversation, a cuppa, might stretch to a custard cream and a bit of a gossip but always a very warm welcome.

Studio visits are designed to feel comfortable and welcoming — especially if you’ve never visited an artist’s studio before.

How To Get From The Car Park To The Studio

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