About

Education and practice - A brief bio

My art education began in the 1980s during which time I graduated with a BA(Hons) in Exeter. I took part in several exhibitions throughout and following my study, and was awarded the Emma Jessie Phipps bequest whilst completing my MA Fine Art in Birmingham. I continued my practice in Birmingham, in a large shared studio, and curated my first solo show alongside a teaching residency in Leeds.

My practice has naturally evolved over time, and as a mature artist, I now find myself compelled to draw upon my emotional life experiences, allowing them to serve as a conduit for the growth of ideas. Conceptually, my figurative work is largely self portraiture; an attempt to address personal issues such as introversion and social anxiety. The human female figure has become the natural vehicle for my exploration, and as my work continues to develop, the very facets of my personality that invite those concepts inevitably influence my approach to them.

Another branch of my practice embraces my passion for history, and my extensive collection of found ancient British coins and artefacts. Whilst visually, a distinct departure from my figurative work, it similarly has its roots in emotion, as I try to convey the mystical aura that I perceive around these enigmatic objects, and the way in which they represent an ethereal, yet tangible connection with our ancestors.

More recently, I have begun to acknowledge the symbiotic relationship between my own poetry and my sculpture, interlinking the two, in an attempt to delve further and expand the depth of expression in my work. Poetry consolidates my thoughts in relation to my concepts, whilst broadening my scope to convey emotion.

Now based in North Lincolnshire, I continue to show my work, in galleries across the UK, in publications and online.