Find, Draw, Print, Thread, Make, Paint 

I am a British artist whose work includes drawing, painting, printmaking and installation. My art practice is rooted in materials and improvisation using multiple methods and a delight in process. My work often explores a sense of place, whether documenting a shoreline and sky or printmaking from the interior of a church building. Starting in the early 1990s my apprenticeship as an artist began with John Skinner where I took part in  groundbreaking painting courses in Abbotsbury, Dorset resulting in a large body of paintings and site specific installations. This built on a Foundation course with the Open College of the Arts and was followed by studying drawing at Winchester School of Art. My printmaking training has taken place at Morley College, Lambeth. I am a  member of Soulisquoy Printmakers in Stromness, Orkney. Recent work includes large scale printmaking on bible paper and scrim and fine-grained prints on tissue paper. I have had two artist residencies in Southwark Cathedral, London: the first during the Summer of 2018 and again in Lent 2019.

Artist Residencies

‘Footfall’ took place in Southwark Cathedral during Lent 2019. The piece represented signs of worship and pilgrimage in the building, gathered over centuries. Footfall cascaded from the top of the stone screen high above the High altar to the sanctuary floor below. The 15 metres length of simple cloth or scrim was made of relief prints taken from some of the oldest and most worn ledger stones in the cathedral. I added over 60 metres of handstitching as an acknolwedgement of how the building and the artwork hold time in a particular way. The piece acted as a veil during the 40 days of Lent, covering the gold figures of Christ. The veil was taken down on Easter eve to prepare for the celebrations of Easter day.

In retrospect an artwork that represented footfall in the cathedral became more poignant following the closure of the cathedral building during some of the lockdown periods during the pandemic.

'Broken Beauty' took place in Southwark Cathedral  in May and June 2018 to explore how art could support reflection on the first anniversary of the London Bridge  attack. During the residency I made a specially commissioned piece composed of large scale monoprints based on surfaces in the Cathedral damaged in the attack and over the centuries. The installation in the Retrochoir was displayed alongside two existing pieces:Quilt, a reflection on mourning and Heirloom, exploring the theme of broken beauty. Bringing together making and communicating about my art has become an increasingly important part of my arts practice.

'Sea Room: an island in the city' took place in Hackney, London in 2016. This artist residency at St Peter de Beauvoir Town involved a solo exhibition of over 40 prints, paintings, drawings textile pieces and installations. Against this back drop I engaged with the church community and the fabric of the building resulting in a new series of large monoprints on bible paper and on cloth taking traces from worn pews, wooden floors and altar steps.

My Studio

My studio is a 'laboratory for learning'. This is how the multi-instrumentalist Hannah Peel describes her music studio. My studio too is a place to be curious, constantly exploring new methods and materials whilst making time to reflect on discoveries and mistakes. Since 2011 my studio has been in Orkney where the landscape and seascapes provide a continual springboard for work. I am a ferry-ride away from the main island, the 'Mainland' and the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness whose Mid-Twentieth century art collection is another valued source of inspiration and gives me a wider context for my work.