I grew up in a house full of paintings, drawings and books.  Sunday trips with my dad to the Tate Gallery, at a time when there was only one, and excursions along the King's Road in the late 1960s, were my earliest art and design education.  I wanted to be a fashion designer, an illustrator, a graphic designer.  Instead, I read Spanish and South American literature and history before taking a fine art degree at WSCAD (Farnham) in my late 20s.  I gained a 1st class degree in painting and a postgraduate diploma at Central St Martins in London. 

By chance, I started designing contemporary area rugs for Kappa Lambda Rugs who worked with architects and high-end retail and interior design clients.  I designed bespoke rugs  for residential, corporate and commercial interiors in the UK and abroad and my work was included in major design and media events including 100% Design, ‘UK Now!’ (Melbourne), ‘Best of British’ (Canary Wharf) and ‘TGI Friday’ (the first series.)  Christopher Farr and Matthew Bourne included my work in 'Contemporary Rugs' a seminal survey of the genre published by Merrell in 2002.  Concurrent with my painting and design practice, I worked in art collection management for more than 20 years.

 

Since 2011, I've been a full-time, independent artist.   I was awarded the Contemporary British Painting prize in 2021.

 

Words and images restore me when painting or life is hard - "Birthday Letters" by Ted Hughes, Hugo Williams' "Billy's Rain", Edna O'Brien's 'The Love Object', Prunella Clough's late paintings, Per Kirkeby, Ilse d'Hollander, Sonia Delaunay's textile designs, Merlin James, Phillip Larkin's poem "Aubade", Bonnard's self-portraits, memories of rainy summers in Scotland, and the fascinating, slippery nature of language.