Trained at Cambridge Art School, with a degree in textiles, I initially worked as a designer selling in New York and Paris. After having children I qualified as an art teacher and worked for many years as Head of Art in a South London comprehensive school. I recently completed an MA in Fine Art (painting) at Wimbledon College of Art and am now working in a small studio that was once a potting shed on the edge of a local park. In addition to that I also run workshops for students and art teachers and am a GCSE and A Level examiner for EDEXCEL
My early career as a textile designer has had a strong influence on my work. In my paintings I am particularly interested in the relationship between the linen and the brush marks, whereas when drawing I often create texture by disturbing the surface of soft cotton rag paper. I aim to respond to a particular moment in time and record a resonance of a known place and its history, rather than provide a literal account. The landscape is the focus of my exploration of colour, inspired by the painter Agnes Martin and her relationship with the natural world.