I am a self-taught artist who works in a variety of different mediums. My work currently focuses on fine fountain pen drawing, acrylic painting, digital painting and pottery.
I have many influences in my work. Undeniably growing up in a rural village and living in the countryside all my life have played a huge part in choosing subjects of interest and art style. I have always worked in an observational way, creating a realistic depiction of my subject matter. Having impressionist influences in my acrylic painting gives me the opportunity to work in a more loose style, while still creating an accurate visual depiction.
Digital Painting is a huge challenge. I aim to work in exactly the same way as I do with real paint and brushes to create work which has the same look and feel as a print of an original painting. Working in this way gives me the freedom to work wherever I am. I can work on my tablet anywhere I choose and don’t have the restrictions of setting up equipment and using up wet paint. I hope that people will understand more about digital painting as it becomes more widely used by artists. It is not filters being applied to photos; that is a totally different thing altogether.
I adore drawing with a fine Japanese fountain pen and Japanese ink. The focus of my ink drawings is usually animals. The challenge of creating fur, feathers and realistic eyes with a tiny, sharp nib and just black ink terrifies me every time I start a drawing! I usually dislike the drawing for quite some time but, gradually, as all the dark and light tones come together, I suddenly see a character emerge.
Pottery gives me the chance to get my hands dirty and create in a three-dimensional way. It takes me back to the pure joy of plasticine as a child! I use slab pottery techniques to create fun items which are purely decorative.
I am happy to undertake commissions and also sell Giclee prints of my work.
