My work as a garden designer, has given much inspiration to my creative process and it is not surprising to find that plants and plant material are integral to my art. More than the flowers and leaves themselves, I have a love of their skeletons and structures in particular; seed heads, grasses, branches and trunks. I am passionate about texture and pattern, and natural forms that resound in our collective subconscious. I hope to capture the ephemeral effects of light and atmosphere creating landscapes to dream in.
My painting process incorporates many different materials including acrylic paints and inks, tissues and collage papers, mediums, pastels and sometimes plant material. I work in many layers creating texture, which is very important to me, and building up a rich patina.
I also work with collagraph printing; creating a printing plate using a collage of different materials to create texture. This plate is then inked and printed on an etching printing press. Although 10 or so prints can be taken from a plate, each one is individually inked and printed; each one is unique. I often work back into them with paint, and they become an original collagraph painting.
Ceramics is the latest addition to my portfolio. I am a hand builder, using ancient techniques; pinch pots, coiling and slabs to construct pieces with a purity of line and a sculptural sense of form. I am currently working with black clay, where texture and colour are equally as important as shape. I use minimal surface decoration, mark making by carving into coloured slips or washing out resisted clay. I am enjoying experimenting with unusual glazes which add texture.