Illustrator, abstract artist and writer
Exploring stories, colour and texture
Exploring stories, colour and texture
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Inspiration
I love the feel of paint as it glides across the paper, the smoothness of a palette knife, and I am excited by texture and colour. I remember buying my first box of soft pastels, the colours were so vibrant I stood open-mouthed at the selection, it was like looking at a box of sweets. I stood there so long drooling, the assistant went off to serve someone else! Soft pastels, gouache and acrylic paints are my soul food and I like what I do because it feels like playing. I am inspired by nature and revived by the sea - I grew up in Weymouth and the first painting I sold was a huge abstract of Swanage Beach, (have a look here ). I often paint intuitively just doing what feels ‘right’ which enables me to work fast and involve happy accidents in the outcome. Abstract art is a wonderful thing because it comes from the heart and there is no way to fail. I like to use found objects, anything lying on my desk, something out of the recycling box, or leaves and flowers in my work, anything that catches my eye. |
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The Art of Story
Stories are what binds my work. When I'm painting intuitively I often don't know what stories will emerge until the piece is finished and the work then inspires more stories and poems, After graduating from Exeter University as a primary teacher, I moved to Hertfordshire for my first teaching post and wherever I moved I found life drawing and art classes.. I’ve had many interesting experiences that inspire themes including spending time in New Zealand and working on a Scottish llama farm. In 2000 I had a period of extreme ill health. This limited the materials I could use but forced me to experiment with other things including a course in hand-built ceramics and abstract painting. Art is as necessary to me as breathing, so even when I was lying in hospital, I made sure I had coloured pencils to create a picture book that I shared with the nurses during my three month residency! A few year's ago I decided to get some of these picture books finished, and finally this year I graduated from Cambridge School of Art with an MA in Children’s Book Illustration.
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Art for the Heart Making art has such therapeutic value and can help us process our feelings and open our hearts to help us remember who we are. It is a wonderful thing to work with people and see their confidence improve as they realise they can ‘do’ art. Being able to share my passion for painting, illustrations and stories with other people is what makes me feel good. I have met some wonderful people on the journey, and the thrill of handing over a picture to someone who is equally enthusiastic just makes me smile :-) Follow me on Instagram and Facebook, or get in touch for a chat, you can contact me HERE |
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