I have always been creative and nothing made me happier than spending hours and hours as a child drawing, painting and creating pictures, cards and surprise gifts. This love of creation continued throughout my education where I achieved top grades. It was the intention to go into art college. However, I ended up training to be a Personal Assistant.
My job involved interaction with people all over the world and this gave me the impetus to travel myself. I love the diversity of different cultures, the colour and flamboyancy. This, together with my love of nature, certainly influences all my artwork. Although I did sell various pieces of artwork during those years, it wasn’t until I went on a painting holiday in France, that painting came into the foreground of my life again – I was home! I was immediately drawn to the medium; these beautiful wet-on-wet oils by Bob Ross which could blend and move into one another – working in a totally different way to traditional paints. It was the colour I was drawn to – vivid and vibrant.
People started to purchase my artwork and before I knew it, I was being requested to complete commissions. I then became qualified to teach this method myself so that I could pass this joy onto others, giving classes and workshops. Since then, I haven’t looked back, developing my own style and ideas teaching both acrylic and mixed media whilst still retaining my passion for the oils.
I came to the Isle of Wight in October 2013 and really enjoy Island life. I now teach people on the Island and regularly travel to teach groups both in the UK and overseas. In addition, I run Residential Painting Courses, give demonstrations, complete commissions and opportunities are materialising all the time. I was particularly over the moon to hear in 2020 that one of my original paintings was used as the front cover of Australian Author, Anne Poole’s, inspirational book ‘Believe in Yourself’ currently available worldwide on Amazon.
I encourage everyone to be creative and love it when a person who feels they “can’t paint” or are “not good enough” leaves the session with a completed canvas and a smile on their face. After all, true art is about letting go and allowing the painting to paint itself and this is what I wish to impart to others – there are no mistakes only discovery and learning.
Stepping into the world of art is a world full of colour, imagination and creativity where anything is possible and it’s this I wish you to experience for yourself during classes/workshops.
Acrylic Inks, Acrylics, Oil
Abstract, Flowers, Landscapes, Seascape
Sennelier, Golden, Dalery Rowney
