I am an artist, designer and maker with a profound love of colour. It has a lyrical energy

                                                                     and exuberance that resonates with me and it's at the heart of everything I create. I’m very                                                                              aware of colour pattern and texture in the world around me and vibrant use of these things is                                                                        a signature of my work along with a playful layering of shades tones and marks. It’s a visual                                                                            vocabulary that I express in abstract form. Originally trained in the craft of textile design and                                                                        printing I am at heart an explorer and my practice now embraces a wider spectrum of work                                                                              experimenting with materials and printing techniques, paper sculpture, digital design and                                                                              photography

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Music has always played a big part in my life and mixing materials with multiple techniques gives me a sense of composing redolent of the tempo and dynamics of a musical composition. I nearly always have sound in my studio when I’m working and it doesn't have to be music. It can be something more experimental like a soundscape or a story and I think it becomes a subliminal feed into my work. The feel of the finished piece will often reflect what I was listening to in gestures, shapes, marks.

 

Favourite artists:   Albert Irvin, Gillian Ayres, Barbara Rae, Mali Morris, Hella Jongerius, Dale Chihuly

 

Best advice I've ever read comes from Kurt Vonnegut:

"Go into the arts. I'm not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art no matter how well or badly is a way to make your soul grow for heavens sake. Sing in the shower, dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You'll get an enormous reward. You will have created something"  

 

Advice I would give to others:

Things that are really worth having often happen slowly so be patient. Treat everyone the way you would like to be treated yourself, trust your instincts and focus on the things that really matter  to you.