About Me

As a child I was enthralled by nature, insects, wild animals, flowers, fairies, sea creatures, not much has changed. I have been painting since 2001, I love painting with anything that will make a mark. Watercolour, papers, pastels, inks, ink sticks, oil pastels, pencils, printing with leaves, through sequin scrim, delicate painting with watercolour, knifing on acrylic, I just love experimentation. My main subjects are animals, flowers and a mystical undersea world of mermaids and sea creatures. I studied at Saltash Colledge and a BA HONS Degree at Plymouth University. Art was born for me as a rehabilitation from serious illness. It is so therapeutic, you can lose yourself in it.

When I am making a picture, I have to connect with the subject, my head has to climb into the picture and become part of the story I am trying to tell. I hope this shows in the outcome.

My story

I am a firm believer in the saying ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade’ I had long loved art, drawing and pastels were my thing. I yearned to learn watercolour but had a hectic job and three children, I worked 80 hours a week running my business, a nail salon in Hemel Hempstead, the nearest I got to satisfying my passion was sculpting nails and specialising in free hand nail art. Then in 1999 I had just opened my own salon, taken on employees and work had snowballed, I lived on the premises and there was no time to just be me . I became very unwell, so much so that in 2001 after losing my Mother. My partner, children and I moved down to Cornwall, the business was to continue up country for another 3 years but I had to recuperate and get strong again. I was virtually bedridden, initially, I was incredibly lonely and I decided to drag myself to a watercolour class and my new life began. I very soon graduated to mixed media, finding excitement in anything that made a mark, whipping paper with branches dipped in paint, blowing bubbles in ink tinted soapy water, printing with leaves, ripping hand made papers and putting them in the picture, scraping thick acrylic over paper, canvass, using newspaper, printing through sequin scrim, anything and everything to experiment. I did a BTEC at Saltash College and a BA Hons Fine Art Degree at Plymouth University, sadly bad health reared its head again I had to leave after passing the first year. Again I collapsed and had a scary stay in hospital, I came out the other side so back to the easel, I enjoy my subjects, I am surrounded by the beautiful Cornish countryside, the wildlife, the flowers, the sea. I am truly blessed. I have a furtive imagination and when I am working on a piece, I feel like I almost climb inside as I connect and build my subject on the paper. So out of a bad deal of illness, I now live my life carefully, but surrounded by beauty, doing the thing I love, my children are all grown and married to local people and my grandchildren are growing up in this beautiful place. Lemons can really be sweet.