Back in February I was selected for Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year.
In April I took part in Heat 8 of the competition in Battersea Arts Centre. 
The programme will be transmitted in autumn on Channel 11 Wednesday evenings (you do not need to pay, it is free on Freeview.)

Drawing in the garden aged 5. My parents were 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 2007 Expedia, with the National Gallery, launched Blue Sky Day inviting two hundred people to paint in Trafalgar Square. Clouds and vigorous skies remain a great source of inspiration.

For eight years I ran  mygorgeouscards.com selling both my own and bought in cards plus my painstakenly cleaned period Maps of London reproduced on cards and tea towels. 

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. 

I thoroughly enjoy teaching the Studio Group Painting and Drawing class for adults at Lavant on Thursdays mornings and run occasional one day courses on Saturdays.

I was delighted to meet 193 visitors during 2023 Chichester Art Trail and we raised £872 for Brain Tumour Research. 

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 include:  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 Oxmarket Contemporary Chichester 2023.
Work held in private collections in London, USA, South Africa, Australia, France and Italy. 

Charity Fundraising: 2021 we raised £1,579 , in 2022 we raised £2000 and so far in 2023 we're close to £4000 for Brain Tumour Research.

Bridgeman Images licence several of my paintings for reproduction.

Using Format