So this is my first blog post. I want this space to be a place where I can share the things that inspire me, new ways of working and collections.
I thought I'd start by introducing myself and telling you a little of my story.
I was brought up in the countryside in a little Dorset village close to the magnificent Jurassic coast, which explains my enduring love of the sea.
Unfortunately I listened to the voices that told me that I could never make a living out of art and needed to get a “proper” degree so I studied Law at Sussex University. I went on to practise as a family solicitor for a few years before becoming utterly frustrated by the inherent injustices in the system and then moved into legal recruitment, but my passion was always art.
I had a light bulb moment during the July 2005 bombings. I was on my usual commute to work from the Northern line, changing at embankment to get on the circle line to our offices when I had the most compelling instinct that I should get off the tube. Call it intuition, God, instinct, call it what you will but it was strong enough to make me turn to the complete stranger standing next to me and say “I know I sound mad but I really think we should get off the tube”. Understandably she looked at me in disbelief but I got off and as I left the station to continue my walk to work and saw all these helicopters flying above I knew something was very wrong. When I finally arrived at our offices I was met with the tragic news that four coordinated suicide attacks had been carried out by Islamist terrorists. That was enough for me. Life is too short and in that moment I made the decision to leave the 9 to 5 behind and do my best to carve out a life I loved. I resigned shortly afterwards having been accepted by the City & Guilds of London Art School to undertake my first experience of formal art training! Once there I got to experience a whole range of techniques including printmaking, glass making and dark room photography as well as more traditional art forms such as life drawing.
I discovered resin art in 2018 and this was a real turning point for me in finding my “artistic voice”. I was captivated by this new technique using non-toxic resin to create beautiful artworks which have an almost marble like quality to them. The best way I can describe it is that it is like painting with molten glass. You will see that some of my resin artworks can be enjoyed outdoors, combining the healing powers of nature and art. Recent research has shown that even looking at plants can have a measurable impact on your mental and physical health and the same can be said of some artworks. Add to that the power of colour and you have quite a combination!
Resin is quite an expensive art material and so I started experimenting with alcohol ink. As another form of Fluid Art it is similarly unpredictable; it evolves as it evolves. I have always been obsessed with colour and I love it when I find a colour that makes another ‘pop’. My alcohol ink paintings are intended to have a calming, soothing effect on the viewer. Fluid art is a meditative process and even more so with alcohol ink art as it is an almost automatic creation in the first instance which I then work into.
I love the dialogue that happens between the artwork itself and me as the painter.
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