I come from a creative family – my father was a magician, and I was his assistant, and my sister is an actor. From an early age I have been crafting, cake decorating and sewing, but never thought I could paint. I was born in Worcester, and spent the last 14 years of my working life at a university as a support worker for students with disabilities. Many of my students took degrees in Art, and being surrounded by so much creativity rekindled a latent creative spirit in me. I wanted to paint.
I had my first lesson in painting in oils in 2018 and I knew instantly that this was how I could express myself. The versatility of oils excites me, it allows me to paint freely and explore different techniques of applying colour and creating texture and movement. I love to use a palette knife, scratch or flick paint and see where it leads me. Recently I have started to experiment with acrylics, inks , oil pastels and watercolours and these have opened me up to yet more exciting ways of painting. I am never quite sure what is going to happen and this is quite liberating. I feel it is so important to experiment and open yourself to exploring new techniques – you learn so much from when it all goes wrong.
I can only paint what inspires me. I take my inspiration largely from the places I have travelled to – from the birch forests of Siberia to the local scenery of Worcestershire, and my work is a response to that landscape. I want my work to connect with people, evoking feelings and memories. I am always very happy when people say they can see that I put myself into my paintings as I truly believe this is the case.
Ideas for paintings will start with something that I feel I have to paint, and I will take photographs or maybe sketches. It may sit in my head for months before it starts to take shape. This usually happens when I swim and my mind empties and ideas start to grow.
I exhibit at The Gallery, Pershore, and past exhibitions for me include Worcestershire Open Studios , Participate in Art at the Royal Porcelain Works Courtyard Arts, the Great Witley Church Art Exhibition, Holloways of Suckley Garden Art exhibition, Herefordshire Art Week , guest artist at local exhibitions and several online exhibitions. I also take part in local craft markets.
In 2020 I was highly commended for my oil painting of the Malvern Hills, “Coming Home,” in a national art competition. I was so happy to achieve this only 2 years after starting to paint. I also reached the final 10 in the people’s choice of another national art competition in the same year, and this year one of my ink inspired paintings, “Jamboree”, was chosen to be shown in a national art magazine competition.
This year I am going to be painting whenever possible throughout Open Studios, so you might see me at work. You can have a go if you want.
I will have original artwork for sale, together with canvas prints, prints, cards and coasters, and some of my artwork will be at a special price for the duration of Open Studios in order to make way for new paintings – plus there may well be cake!!