About
I grew up by the sea in Bournemouth and spent all my summers selling ice-cream on the beach. Through the view finder of the square serving hatch I would watch the sea in all its guises from morning to evening, the waves breathing in and out, a soundtrack to my day.
The seaside holiday feeling of Brighton with its pier, arcades and rock shops felt familiar to me, and here I have settled after studying Fashion and Textiles at Brighton University. I couldn't imagine not living near the sea and I relish the constant inspiration to be found living in this exuberant city between the Downs and the coast. I have come to painting from a career as a fashion print designer for swimwear where I spent years immersed in a world of floral designs, tropical motifs, neon colour and bold pattern. I love that these elements, exotic flowers, leaves, the sea or vibrant colour, now feature in my semi representational paintings. I also enjoy that glimpsed beneath the surface of my multi layered works is a history much like the gritty and intriguing history of Brighton and its colourful inhabitants.
I work in mixed media, across multiple surfaces at once, enjoying how each painting informs others, much as I seek for each of my marks to talk to one another. I adore the inquiry at every stage of painting, sometimes more intuitive and at other times more intentional. Like the waves pulling away and rushing back into shore, I gain clarity on works in process through continual visitation and absence.
By enjoying experimental marks, delighting in colour and letting the qualities of my materials lead me onward, it’s often not immediately apparent at the start of a new work, what my subject will be. I get such a thrill of excitement as loose intuitive, exploration transforms into a feeling or memory I can grasp. Sometimes emotional echoes and recollections of time spent in the landscape emerge. Other times, it's the wonder of nature's botanical intricacies that surface.
I aim to develop a feeling of history through the building of multiple layers and express my continual desire for growth and expansion through an investigational approach. I am endeavoring to make my paintings joyous, authentic and evocative.
Education
2018 - 2019
Newlyn School of Art - Defining Art
Practices - One year course.
1993 - 1997
Brighton University - BA Hons Fashion
and textiles with Business Studies.
1992 - 1993
Ravensbourne College - Foundation
Studies in Art & Deign
