I am a contemporary painter and printmaker living and working in Cambridge, UK.
Jugs, jars, and still life vessels are a constant theme in my paintings. I also paint the land, sea and sky in various moods. My current work is process driven, sometimes planned, at other times more spontaneous, depending on the materials used. I have developed three main styles using print, encaustic with collage and oil-based paint. I also sometimes work in acrylic, although oil paint is my favoured medium.
In my paintings, I find myself seeking a more personal approach and rather than follow conventional rules, I prefer to playfully explore the medium and express my feelings for a place or for those items that hold a personal memory. Relying on both observation and imagination, I endeavour to transform my paintings into something profound and arresting, far removed from the everyday and yet also familiar.
Exhibitions 2021
October: Cambridge Drawing Society Autumn Exhibition, Pitt Building, Cambridge
September: Society of East Anglian Watercolourists, Babylon Gallery, Ely
July: Cambridge Open Studios
Recent Exhibitions
2020
Affordable Art Fair Global Online Fair 2020
2019
Affordable Art Fair Milan
STRAY ARTISTS at The Old Fire Engine House, Ely
Cambridge Drawing Society Spring Exhibition
STRAY AWAY at The Undercroft, Norwich
The 4th Red Dot Mini Print Exhibition, The Garage Gallery, Aldeburgh
2018
Affordable Art Fair, London Hampstead Heath
Cambridge Drawing Society Spring Exhibition
Primavera Gallery, Cambridge
Cambridge Original Printmakers Biennale, Pitt Building, Cambridge
Affordable Art Fair, London, Battersea Autumn
Statement
As an Art Therapist, I view a jug, vase or vessel as a container for emotion; my still-life compositions explore the vulnerable inner world of the psyche, and the concept of contained feelings and emotions within the boundary of the vessel. The size, appearance and porosity of such a container can convey something about its strength or fragility. I often like to think of them as characters or players in a scene, with feelings and emotions held within or spilling outwards, each with a relationship to the other and perhaps a story to tell. I tend to use favourite jugs and plates as my starting point. Most of the assembled items exist in my personal collection; many are from my family and hold specific memories. Others were gifted or made by friends, and some I just love for their shape or colour. Whatever the assembled objects suggest to the viewer, my aim is to combine colour, texture and pattern to create an overall balanced composition.
Landscapes and seascapes capture the memories of time spent in a favourite place, usually in a coastal location, on or near the sea, a constant source of inspiration. I grew up beside the sea and sailed for many years since first venturing out on a sailboat as a young teen in my native Scotland. From day trips and coastal hops to longer passages around the UK and France, I am always happy to set sail on an adventure. In my thirties, I spent a year sailing across the world’s oceans, watching the weather as it moved across vast skies, chased by the wind and the waves for weeks at a time. With so many hours spent observing the changing light of the sea and the sky, and the wonders of the milky way at night, it was inevitable that such rich experiences with their indelible visual memories would find their way into my work. Viewers often find these images calming and tranquil, and may be reminiscent of their own experiences on the water or looking across from dry land to the horizon.
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