Artist Statement
Born in Lincolnshire in 1975, into a family of creative people, including painters, poets and musicians, my love of art was always encouraged. My father bought me a set of watercolours when I was fifteen, and for the next twenty-five years they became my primary painting medium. For my fortieth birthday my family bought me the gift of a weekend at a plein air painting event, and I instantly fell in love with painting on location. For a couple of years I combined plein air and studio painting, initially in watercolour, but I gradually discovered the practical benefits which oil paints offer when working outside in all weathers. I now work entirely on location in oils, but still use my beloved watercolours for pen and wash studies, and remain an avid sketcher.
I’ve always been hugely inspired by the work of the impressionist painters. Going to a major Monet exhibition in my early teens was the first occasion that I was truly moved emotionally by art, and the impressionist values of searching for the truth of light and colour in nature through texture and loose bold brushstrokes remains central to my practice as an artist, and what I continually strive for in my own work.
I now live in Belper, Derbyshire, in the heart of England, with my husband and three children, and specialise in painting all kinds of gardens and parkland. I feel that gardens and parks provide particular inspiration for me as an artist because they offer a peaceful oasis to paint in in both rural and urban settings, with the winning combination of background foliage and jewel-like snippets of vibrant colour together with strong structural elements such as trees, sheds, greenhouses and sculptures. I’m fortunate to live in a country which has a rich history of gardens, from small cottage plots to grand royal parkland landscapes, and everything in between, so I’m never short of subject matter.
I am more than happy to consider commissions to paint gardens and parks both public and private, please email me to discuss your requirements.
