I am a Devon based Artist and I have been Painting and Studying Art alongside a
Career in Design for over 35 years.
In 2019, I left the design industry and moved from
London to Devon full time where I could concentrate on my own artwork with creative
freedom. I picked up my paintbrush to paint not only for the unstructured joy and
creative healing, but also to discover and immerse myself in the wild and beautiful
landscape where I lived. Through the process, unconsciously also opening up my own
inner landscape.
Being so close to nature is calming, healing, dramatic and energising.
My current
paintings shown are a response to my many walks and the feelings of having been in the
landscape. I walked in all weathers, through forests, on the moor, along coasts and
rivers. I make studies, work in the landscape, or just rush back to my studio to capture
the experience immediately. I like to experiment with different styles and techniques
depending on what feels right to capture the moment. I hold on to colours, the light,
texture and the feeling. I work instinctively, and use a range of media including ink,
acrylic, oils and metallic paints.
The linear river paintings are a series in a distinctive style; poured, multi-layered,
immersive and consuming. They were made when injury restricted my movement and
I found water not only very healing; but the rhythm, drama, depth and contrasts both
metaphorical and transformative.
My style of painting is immersive, abstract, and very layered; a vehicle to carry and
express emotions. The wonderful thing about painting, is that you never really know
what will emerge, no matter what the intention. The act of painting and the consuming
relationship with the surface as it shifts and changes often leads you to a place where
you haven’t been before.
Making art is a way of escaping, learning, and re-emerging; migrating from the inside to
the outside. It is essential, challenging, demanding, fulfilling and revealing.
“art is a stimulation to greater effort in living” Henry Moore
“when you paint, it’s not just about the subject; you are painting yourself” Francis
Bacon