About Me
A different vision
A Country Girl At Heart
A country girl at heart, a triplet sandwiched between my brothers, I grew up on a dairy farm in England roaming the fields, woodlands and rivers of our backyard. I spent very little time on dolls’ houses and tea parties. My mother would have loved a singing ballerina, but this was not to be.
I had a different vision.
My eyesight has never been great. I was that poor child in class with the jam jar spectacles. If that wasn’t bad enough, at the age of 12, life as I knew it fell away.
‘Mum, everything looks foggy’.
I had a detached retina in my left eye. Surgery attached a metal strap and buckle to my eye, which gave me some sight back, but no central vision. Recovery was long and boring. No going outdoors. No riding horses, jumping off riverbanks or climbing trees.
Drawing and painting became my new entertainment, and ultimately, my life.
Snorkelling in Fiji
A Country Girl’s Adventure
After leaving school, the city of Liverpool was to be my home while studying a BA (hons) in Fine Art. What fun I had, a country girl in a big city. While studying I grabbed the opportunity to be an artist-in-residence in an inner-city school, which ignited my passion to teach.
A teaching qualification under my belt and my love for the outdoors, the big wide world was enticing me to explore its diversity. ‘Bye Mum and Dad, I will see you in a couple of years’. Well my two years of travel led to 20 years and now I am settled on the beautiful shores of Lake Taupo, New Zealand. Living on the other side of the world does not stop me from regularly visiting family and friends back in the UK. That was the case before covid.
Skiing on Mount Ruapehu an active volcano
The Fog Has Lifted
I continued to pursue my adventures outdoors, hiking, swimming, kayaking, sailing and skiing. As the years passed I spent more time teaching others the love of art and less creating my own. My eyesight had slowly been deteriorating due to cataracts. February 2011, my world changed again. This time I had my cataracts removed. WOW, my world suddenly burst into colour, another fog had lifted. I didn’t realise how much I hadn’t been able to see. It is amazing how you learn to persevere and adapt, when things are difficult, at no point had I ever wanted to divert my path away from Art.
However, getting my eyesight back sparked a flame to focus on myself for a change. I truly believe you are the only person who can make your dreams come true. Take 100% responsibility for the life you want to lead. It won’t be easy, I can promise you it will be fun achieving your goals.
Living The Dream
Escaping to the outdoors nurtures my soul. My daily walks provide me with endless inspiration for my printmaking. Natural elements, wind, rain and sun create endless variations of the landscapes around me.
To capture such a scene, I explore the unpredictable and imperfect processes of printmaking. I often combine different traditional techniques, such as monoprinting to capture subtle colours and light; collagraphs to add texture and depth. Woodblock printing gives my work definition by focussing on the linear patterns and contours within the landscape.
Come along with me. View my hand-created prints of the areas I love! Better still, attend one of my workshops where I share my vision with YOU.