Tasha Danvers talks about her passion for art

Starting a new series on spikesmag.com athletes talk about their interests away from the track. British Olympic 400m hurdles bronze medallist Natasha Danvers takes time out to talk about her passion for art.

"My mum’s always been an artist and I guess I just inherited that same feeling. I never really did much art until the last year. It was only then I decided to pick up a brush and just paint. I have a website which has all the different pieces I have on display at www.danversbydesign.com.

"I paint abstract. I’m not really into painting a bowl of fruit or scenery of anything like that. If you look at my work there is a championship series which is athlete inspired – an abstract painting of a high jumper, a sprinter, a hurdler or so on.

"The pieces that I have are not very expensive but I have had requests for some of the larger pieces.

"It is something I definitely want to take more seriously in future and it is what I enjoy. I think everyone should put everything into things they are passionate about and I enjoy painting because I’m a very creative person and it is an outlet for me. There are no rules to art and I don’t have to break off at a specific time or eat specific food I can do whatever I like. That’s the beauty about art and that’s why I like it. It will always be something I do. Athletics can be hectic, very intense and very restrictive and art allows me to chill out. You can make something which looks wonderful or terrible and it doesn’t matter."