NOVEMBER 11 - 24  I have a SOLO EXHIBTION in the Wilson Room
at OXMARKET CONTEMPORARY St Andrews Court, Off East Street, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1YH.
Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4.30pm and Sunday 12 noon to 4pm. Closed Mondays.

Drawing in the garden aged 5. My parents were very busy commercial artists, hand drawing advertising for C&A, Kendals of Manchester, Hendersons of Liverpool and Jenners of Edinburgh.

Artwork for packaging with Peter Windett Associates for Crabtree & Evelyn and with the Hallmark Partnership for Boots. The strangest job at Dorling Kindersley involved painting every cut of meat for a cookery book.

In 2023 I was selected to take part in Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year. It was a very long day, of cameras and lights and lots of people. I particularly enjoyed talking with the judges and Dame Joan Bakewell.

Before moving to Chichester in 2019  I ran my own business selling both my own and bought in cards plus my painstakenly cleaned period Maps of London reproduced on cards and tea towels.  Mygorgeouscards.com thrives under new ownership

I've always been curious. Having to sit silently on the floor of my parents studio while they worked long hours, the only sounds from the wireless, I listened. Books with words held no interest but I drew, then never stopped. Though when I look back on my life, I'm surprised that nurturing rather than art has been at the core. The wonder and disbelief of germinating a seed only topped by watching a student suddenly realising 'how' and drawing with confidence.  Transforming lives could be my raison d'etre.

I trained as an art teacher at Goldsmiths' College 1972-76, loved teaching in schools and art college then developed a popular course for adults who'd not drawn since childhood. Designing gardens and illustrating followed. In 2019 I really enjoyed learning more about colour and painting at City Lit, with Benjamin Senior. Much encouraged I now paint full time in sunny Chichester. 

In February I was selected to take part in the SkyArts Portrait Artist of the Year competition, duly filmed in April and broadcast in November 2023. It was quite an experience. I was new to portraiture back in April but have devoted some time to studying the form and developing a passion with some new techniques, though my first love remains landscape painting. This year I have thoroughly enjoyed being taught! Particularly by Miss Kate Boucher at West Dean College who really opened my eyes to the possibilities of charcoal.

I continue to enjoy teaching the Studio Group Painting and Drawing class for adults at Lavant on Thursdays mornings and run occasional one day courses in summer.

As Chichester Open Studios Art Trail changed their date this year I was unable to participate with them this year, BUT during the Festival of Chichester 2024 I opened my studio  28, 29 and 30 June and happily raised £606 for Brain Tumour Research.

I also ran another Art in the Park event for the Festival of Chichester, on July 4  close by Chichester Festival Theatre. While the Chichester Tree Wardens offered walks and conversations, I helped people find quick ways to render the magnificent trees.

I am currently busy producing new work and framing pieces (around cataract surgery!) for my solo exhibition in November.

Artwork for packaging and merchandise designed for: The National Trust, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Boots, Crabtree & Evelyn, Pinneys of Scotland and Lotus Fish Food.  Illustration for publishers: Frances Lincoln, Marshall Cavendish, Mitchell Beazley, Kew, Dorling Kindersley, Pavilion, Readers Digest and RHS/Macmillan. Cover for Parklands Residents Association.

Exhibitions: 
Solo exhibition at the Century Gallery Henley on Thames 1983. 
Royal Horticultural Society 1984 & 1986 (Silver and Silver Gilt Medals) 1987. 
Mall Galleries 'Flowers & Gardens' 1984. 
Bradford City Art Gallery 'Food for Thought' 1987. 
Royall Fine Art Tunbridge Wells 1987. 
New York Interior Designers May 1987.
Christies Contemporary Art 'The British Garden' 1988. 
Solo exhibition at Blackheath Halls 1996. 
Solo exhibition at the Oxmarket Contemporary Chichester 2023.
Mixed exhibition entitled WAVE at Oxmarket January 2024.
Mixed exhibition entitled Art in Bloom at the Oxmarket May 2024.
Chichester Art Society annual exhibition at the Oxmarket June 2024

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS:  Solo exhibition in the Wilson Gallery at the Oxmarket Contemporary 12 to 24 NOVEMBER

Work held in private collections in London, USA, South Africa, Australia, France and Italy. 

Charity Fundraising: Current total for Brain Tumour Research - £5479.

Bridgeman Images licence several of my paintings for reproduction.

Using Format