I am a North Yorkshire based painter who lives close to Harrogate in Nidderdale.

Having been born in the East End of London and then grown up in various parts of England, I returned to London University to study Early Years Education at Goldsmiths’ College. I worked in primary education for over 25 years. I then retrained as a florist and ran a business providing flowers, particularly for weddings and funerals.

Seeing the amount of packaging on imported flowers led to me becoming very concerned about the environmental impact and I began to work with only British grown flowers, many of which I grow myself. I ran workshops, educating clients about the issues with imported flowers and demonstrating how what we grow in England can form beautiful arrangements.

While working part time in Fashion and Lifestyle retail, I began an MA in Creative Practice. Initially working with flowers, I began to develop a previous enjoyment of painting, working predominantly in acrylic and watercolour.

I am inspired by the natural world and am interested in the beauty of ageing and the less-than perfect. I seek to capture this in my work.

Some of my work is impressionistic, particularly that of landscapes in my local area, and some is more abstract. I find joy in colour, texture and the qualities of paint.

From Summer 2023, I have been documenting seasonal changes as RHS Harlow Carr, a garden in Harrogate which always provides new points of interest for me. I document these changes in photographs which provide stimuli for paintings.

I like to work on a small scale, using a small canvas, sometimes from recycled materials, and comparatively large brushes to create the effects I desire.