Although my background was in Illustration and Fine Art I was always drawn to the joyful expression of the Naïve Movement and was also (and still am) an avid fan of Biddy Picard, Mary Feddon,Christopher Wood to name just a very few I love the juxtaposition of formal backgrounds with an exaggerated portrayal of the people and animals who inhabit them and I would say my work reflects the humour and empathy I see and feel for life in everyday situations.
I studied at St Martin’s which I hope doesn’t exempt me from being one of the ‘joyfuls ‘! have worked as an Art Therapist, Art Teacher a free lance illustrator and cartoonist , portrait painter and theatre designer for amateur drama groups. In fact anything which involves getting messy and creative makes me happy…. I rarely sketch outside but I do photograph backgrounds, architecture, boats etc. which might be used as backdrops to my characters.. those I carry in my head as I find it gives me more scope to exaggerate quirks and movement.
For the past four years I’ve designed for the card company Greenpebble who reflect my tastes, and continue to exhibit locally and further afield. Most of my work reflects the environment in which I live, a small Essex fishing village. My work sells well throughout the UK. and abroad. For the last couple of years I have submitted work to the AmerArt. annual awards, and twice won 1st place in the category of Naïve Art.