OUR STORY
My paintings are essentially optimistic; the feelings I aims to evoke are hope and happiness. I try to achieve this particularly through my use of colour, which is such a strong influence on mood and atmosphere. I originally trained as a designer (BA hons Fashion, Central St Martins 1993) and the influence of my love of textiles can be seen in my use of contrasting colours, texture and pattern.
I have been painting strong, stylised individual trees for over a decade, but drawing the human figure, trying to capture moments in time and changing light is an interest that has always run parallel to my tree paintings. All my figure paintings are from life, and I works in mixed media, using multi-layered combinations of collage, ink, paint and resin. I now also use this technique for floral paintings, collaging torn paper to create lively florals against bright backgrounds and recycling old drawings and scrap papers into something new, working more sustainably.
I have lived in Surrey on and off for most of my life, since moving here in 1986. It is a beautiful place to live and to work. I try to help the environment by recycling waste materials into my collages, and by using mainly recycled or reusable packaging when I store or ship my artwork. I take part in Surrey Artists Open Studios every year, and have been running a life drawing group in my local area for 14 years. Most of the life models I employ are based in Surrey.
My paintings are available from art galleries and at Art Fairs throughout the UK and in Portugal. I also have ranges of affordable printed work licensed to Whistlefish and John Lewis. Studio visits are welcome throughout the year – my studio is always open to visitors by appointment, please get in touch if you’d like to visit.
