I was born in Yorkshire and raised in Kent. I studied the visual arts at the London Institute and the University of Kent. For over 22 years I taught successfully in Secondary schools across the county.
I live by the sea on the north Kent coast, in Whitstable – famously a place of beautiful and dramatic sunsets. The sky and the sea’s ever-changing palette of colour and mood influence my work.
Harbour with the Greta moored
My paintings have been shown in group and solo exhibitions in the UK. I have exhibited at the Horsebridge Arts and Community Centre in Whitstable and at The Sportsman, Seasalter. Other venues across Kent have included The Metropole, Folkestone, Maidstone Museum and The Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury.
I am a constant and enthusiastic traveller. My experiences and observations have a resonance in my use of vibrant colour. The shocking pinks and acid yellows from Rajasthan, the brilliant blues of tropical seas and the vivid colours of South American costumes against indigo and ochre landscapes have all informed my palette. I find real delight and excitement from using striking colours.
The themes of my work are grounded in the reality of my experience of places, particularly of the built-environment and of living in Whitstable. I use bold, flat colour, often with black outlining, to bring out the strength of adjacent colours and to describe simplified forms. The influence of Matisse and Patrick Caulfield are evident in my current work.