A bit about myself
Accolades
I am thrilled to be shortlisted this year at the Royal Academy, with my painting 'Lost Empyream'.
The Royal Academy exhibition runs between Tuesday 21st June and Sunday 21st August.
I am also very pleased to have won the Derwent Fine Arts Prize at the 2021 Society of Women Artists annual exhibition, with my painting 'Copper Storm' - a 70cm x 140cm painting on copper sheet.
It has been great to be recognised and appreciated by artist peers, with my work shown at the annual open exhibitions of the Bath Society of Artists (2019), the Royal Society of Marine Artists (2017) and for 5 consecutive years with the Society of Women Artists (2017-21) at the Mall Galleries, London.
I am delighted to now be a Fellow of the Society of Women Artists, after being awarded this position in the latter part of 2022.
Background
I grew up on a dairy farm in the Peak District and loved the open spaces and skies of the countryside. After art school and a number of years working as an interior designer for commercial spaces in various cities around the world, I changed direction in the '90s and started to paint as an independent artist.
I moved to Lyme Regis, Dorset on the UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast and opened Blue Lias Gallery to sell my paintings, alongside work by other regional artists. In 2003 I sold the gallery and became a full time artist, allowing time to focus on my art and pioneer new techniques in painting.
Arts Practice
I specialise in skies and landscapes. Inspirations have come from my rural childhood, life on the Jurassic Coast and numerous extended travel periods exploring 6 continents, encountering astonishing landscapes and cultures. I walk and make sketches to capture moments and interpretations of feelings, which can be used later to develop ideas.
The techniques I use have gone through a number of developmental phases over the years. I started with canvas and became interested in using various textural materials, site-specific earth elements, natural weathering, dipping works into the sea, pastels and spray paints to produce the effects I wanted.
The process of weathering and slow change drew me to experiment with metal sheets and the effects of chemistry, heat and weathering to create patination foundations that I could then develop with traditional art materials. I have been refining my techniques and use different metals for different effects.
My garden is my studio. My tools are bonfires, various acids and alkalis, grinders, scrapers, brushes, pastels, sprays and natural weathering. Work can be left in my garden to develop for weeks or even months, opening up surface possibilities.
Working with science and nature in this way often gives unexpected results, especially with the uneven heat of fires and exposure time, challenging me as an artist to create my work. Every painting is therefore very individual and hard to reproduce.
I am happy to talk with you about commissioned work to compliment a space you have in mind.
