When I am not painting, I spend my spare time walking my spaniels, taking photographs (especially wild orchids and butterflies) and learning Spanish.
I have a new studio space in Devizes, which is part of White Horse Arts, a not-for-profit arts centre. Exhibiting is a part of WHA’s vision and I am hoping to exhibit in group and solo shows this year.
I love living part time in southern Spain, where I also have a studio with a wall of windows looking out over the mountains. I would love to spend more time there.
I paint most afternoons these days, either in Spain or Devizes, and for me, an afternoon when I don´t paint is a lost afternoon.

I would be hard pressed to think of a friend or family member who does not have a piece of my art on their walls and I love the idea that they live with it and enjoy it. But I would also like to sell my art commercially to help fund my studio and costs

I put a lot of my art on specialist Facebook sites and as a consequence an American flautist, Laurel Zucker, bought the right to use one of my paintings for her next CD cover, which will be released in June.

Cellular

Acrylic paint and pencil on paper. 10 x 10 inches

INFLUENCES 

My main art influence is Abstract Expressionism.
My favourite artist is Cy Twombley – he moves me to tears!
I studied Swiss geometric abstraction for my PHD. This was quite a calculated and considered artistic way of using colour, not really my ‘style,’ but gave me the opportunity to study every colour theory under the sun, from scientific to expressive/psychological.

I adore colour: it is immediately expressive and powerful.
Painting florals gives me the ideal structure to use a lot of colour.
I’m enjoying experimenting with pure abstraction but a hint of shapes from the natural world always seems to creep in.
An on-line teacher recently told me they loved how my soft and yet colourful style was emerging: a helpful comment I can relate to. People who come into my studio always comment on the vibrancy of the colour in my paintings. If people don’t like bright strong colours they will not like my art!

BIOGRAPHY

University of Canterbury – BA(Hons) History and History of Art (1985-88)

Colchester Institute – Foundation Diploma in Art and Design

Colchester Institute – BA Art and Design (2002-05)

University of Essex – MA Modern Art: Painting and its Discontents (2003-05)

University of Bristol – PHD Art History (2005-2009)
I didn’t get much out of my art and design degree as I felt I learnt very little about painting.

In the past 2 years I have undertaken on-line courses with; Suzanne Allard and Betty Franks, as well as short courses with Louise Fletcher and Nicholas Wilton.
These online courses have really given me my motivation back and I now paint most days.