Fiona Stirling is an artist, mother, and educator. Her PhD explores the impact of time and space in the work of painters who are mothers. When discussing time, Fiona refers to the physical duration available for creating paintings, which can be measured using a clock or a calendar. Regarding space, she considers both personal psychological space and the physical space of the artist's studio. Currently, Fiona manages the BA (Hons) Fine Art Painting degree at the University Centre St Helens, and most recently, she presented at MTU Crawford College of Art and Design, Cork, at the 2024 “Painting in the Expanded Field: a symposium.”

My practice is deeply rooted in my painting process and the challenges I face as a woman, mother, and educator to creating paintings. I am interested in exploring how time and space influence my work and the experiences of other painters who are mothers. I make my paintings in between other responsibilities in an ad-hoc manner. I have devised the terms ‘ad-hoc painting’ and ‘in-betweener painting’ to define this approach. The word 'ad-hoc' can mean makeshift or improvised, but it also signifies doing something when needed. In Latin, it means ‘to this,’ suggesting resourcefulness and keen insight rather than hastily put together. If I had more time for planning, I might stick to tried-and-tested materials, techniques, and processes. However, working spontaneously encourages me to be experimental and inventive, challenging both my ideas of what painting and making can be and my own creative boundaries, often without consciously realising it.