About me

I was born in Liverpool in 1963 into a creative family with a mother who painted and made her own pottery.

Living on the cost near Formby with a father keen on sailing, from a young age I developed a strong affinity with the sea.

However, this was all to change when at the age of nine our family moved to Leicestershire and the rich agricultural landscape of the east midlands.

During this time my interest in drawing and painting, particularly animals, developed even more.

From the age of thirteen I was determined to go to Art College, after completing an art foundation course at Leicester Polytechnic in 1981, I continued to study art at Gloucestershire College of Arts and Technology and acquired a BA in Fine Arts (painting) in 1985.

Whilst on foundation course I visited a travelling circus and became fascinated with these travelling people and their glitzy but rather seedy way of life.

Following in the footsteps of artists such as Dame Laura Knight, I followed circuses around the country and based my thesis and final degree show on the visual world of the circus.

After graduating, I spent the summer and autumn at Blackpool tower circus, working as an usherette and painting the show on my days off.

This culminated in a solo show at Leicester's Haymarket theatre. Around this time having acquired a position as a part time teacher of art, I moved into the city of Leicester.

Though I enjoyed the job the city life was not for me and I really missed the countryside.

Happily I settled in a small village close to the Northamptonshire border, joining a strong artistic community. Here inspired by my surroundings, I painted the rural landscape around me. Pasture land animals and figures in the landscape and portraits of village characters and friends.

A four month visit to family in Australia in 1994 inspired paintings and ceramics based on rock art, the diverse and rich landscape particularly the bird life added to my inspiration.

On returning to England I moved north to Cumbria.

I have lived in Cumbria since 1995, when I became founder member of Green Door Studios in Kendal, I now live at Levens, in the South Lakes with my husband Brian, also a painter and our dog Bridie.

In 2006 I was elected a member of the Lake Artists Society.