The Journey
as a child I was often drawing and making things; free from judgment and expectation. Creating seemed very natural and it was only as I got older that I let it go in favour of a 'proper' job.....and so I entered the corporate world trying to find that sense of fulfilment I had when I was making things.....it never materialised but it did push me into a journey of healing.
from a very young age I was already asking myself what life was about, suspecting that a greater force was at work and that life wasn't simply what we perceived with the 5 senses. I spent the next 25 years studying massage, nutrition, healing, yoga and meditation. I travelled around Asia for 8 months and spent a few months in Panama and Costa Rica and lived in France for over a year. All this led me back to making and creating and I began drawing and writing again before studying creative embroidery and a BA in Fine Art. The need to expand my work into 3D led me to ceramics with Sandy Brown and paperclay with Rebecca Hutchison. Today I am still meditating, healing and enjoying yoga, pondering life and following my inner guidance to make art and share my knowledge with others so they too may find their inner sparkle.
my work is rooted in my love of materials and their potential for transformation. I explore their tactile and aesthetic qualities and simply allow the work to evolve. My inspiration is often the natural world with its ever changing qualities, life cycles, textures, patterns, forms and colours. The more I observe the more I discover, knowing that much can be revealed by spending time with something in contemplation.
Nature not only reveals hidden truths but reflects back our internal landscape.
Once you tap into your creativity you begin to see the world in a different way, every moment is an opportunity to be inspired. Walks in nature are a discovery of colour, line, pattern, shape, texture and the feeling of wonder that these things evoke.
A rusty boat, the structure of a plant or a shell, the smooth surface of a pebble, peeling paint, natures patterns, the vibrant colours of a flower or butterfly.........
Education
Paperclay Masterclass - large scale sculpture with Rebecca Hutchinson
June 2019
Glazing with Sandy Brown
2016 - 2018
Paperclay Masterclass with Rebecca Hutchinson
June 2017
Creativity is Play with Sandy Brown
June 2016
University for the Creative Arts (Farnham)
BA (Hons) Fine Art
September 2006 – May 2009
Exhibitions
Friends of Burton
The Burton Art Gallery, Bideford, Devon
March - April 2024
Christmas Exhibition
The Burton Art Gallery, Bideford, Devon
5th - 31st December 2021
'Regenesis'
Annual Sculpture Exhibition
Stone Lane Gardens, Chagford, Devon
June - October 2021
'Connection'
The Harbour House Gallery, Kingsbridge, Devon
3rd - 8th December 2019
The Goodwin Gallery, Petroc, Barnstaple, Devon
November - December 2019
'The Power of Making'
The Gallery at The Ariel Centre, Totnes, Devon
5th - 23rd November 2019
North Devon Art Trek
September 2018
‘New Year New Work’
Broomhill Art Hotel, Barnstaple, Devon
14th January – 25th February 2018
‘Summer Exhibition’
Broomhill Art Hotel, Barnstaple, Devon
August 2016
Allen Gallery, Hampshire
Nov – Dec 2008
‘Eclectic’
The James Hockey Gallery, Farnham, Surrey
May 2008
‘Take Four Artists’
Alice Holt, Hampshire
November 2007
The Forge Studio and Gallery, Hampshire
August 2007
Brighton Open Houses
May 2005
Work in private collections in Hampshire, Surrey, Brighton and Devon