Biography

I studied Art at Liverpool College of Art where I completed a foundation course. After this I went to Manchester College of Art and graduated with a 2:1 honours degree in Printed Textile Design, before completing a PGCE teaching qualification.

For the past 30 years I have combined producing pieces of my own work with teaching. I have sold my own textile designs, illustrated fashion magazines, sold designs for cards and calendars, designed book covers and have also had a wide range of commissions.

I have held exhibitions throughout the country.

My inspiration comes from colour, it excites me and this combined with patterns and texture is my starting point when I begin a painting.

I like to paint a variety of subjects including still life, figures within settings and as nature provides a great source of inspiration - landscapes and seascapes.

I love to paint landscapes plein air and I work in my studio when painting still life. I make an effort to capture texture and depth in my paintings using acrylics, oils or gouache.

I try to capture a mixture of a moment in time and interesting patterns and textures using restricted but exciting colour themes concentrating on tonal values and texture within those colours. I really enjoy working with paint, using different brushstrokes to build layers of texture to create a final piece.

My influences come from walking in the Lake District, where I live in Hampshire and the surrounding scenery, holidays in Cornwall and Alfred Hitchcock films.

There have also been a number of artists who have had a big impact on me and my work. These include Edward Hopper, Pierre Bonnard, Vincent Van Gogh, Kurt Jackson and Moira Huntly.