About

 My paintings are of places I know very well and visit over and
over again, both literally and imaginatively. I am attracted to
the ‘edges of the land’ including our fabulous and varied
coastline as well as the rocky edges to be found throughout
the British landscape.
My love of the sea stems from my childhood. I was born in
Hartlepool on the North East coast and visited the little fishing
village of Staithes often, as I still do today. The fishing cobles
to be found on the North East coast serve as my models. They have a unique shape that
reflects their Viking heritage, being clinker built with a rounded belly, flat stern and pointed
bow. They are a challenge to paint but mine have all been pronounced sea worthy by the
local fishermen. A great compliment indeed.
I find constant inspiration in the sea in all its moods and it is a subject to which I am
invariably drawn, striving always to capture its movement and strength, which I find both
fascinating and frightening.
The wild hills and moors of North Yorkshire and Derbyshire provide a different challenge
and I love to paint them as they are exposed to the extremes and intensity of light. I try to
capture a particular atmosphere created, sometimes fleetingly, by swiftly changing weather
conditions and am fascinated by nature’s ability to present a landscape in so many
different tempers.
The Swaledale sheep is a familiar sight on the Pennines and North York Moors and I
began to include a few in moorland scenes before becoming fascinated by their shaggy
fleeces, black faces and curly horns. I am now working on a series of Swaledale portraits,
an artistic adventure for me.
I paint using oils, acrylics and ink and revel in the flexibility of these media. I use brushes,
fingers, sticks, knives, pens or anything else to hand to make marks on the canvas. Using
various materials, such as sand, paste, even sea-coal, to create texture my paintings are a
mixture of bold strokes and impasto effects. More subtle areas are created through the use
of glazes and fine brush work.
I hope my viewers are able to uncover in my work some of the magic I feel in the places I
am inspired to paint.

One Woman Show, Scottie Gallery, Sheffield

S10 Gallery, Sheffield

Great Sheffield Art Show

Art in the Gardens, Sheffield

Solo at Sheffield Fine Art Society

Marziart International Gallery, Hamburg

Solo Space 59, Sheffield

Artfulness York

Solo, Staithes Art Gallery, Staithes

RNLI Exhibition, Staithes

Triton Galery, Sledmere