For over 25 years I practiced as a freelance illustrator in children’s books and licensing after unexpectedly becoming a single parent. I am self taught as an artist. The stories I brought to life were myths and folktales from around the world. Over the past 7 years, I have gathered all this experience into creating original fine art paintings in paint and gold leaf.
My work is about recreating the spaces of the natural world, its pattern and glow and the simple joy of colour. Symmetry and geometry in nature is endlessly fascinating. It is fascinating, calming and reassuring in a world that is increasingly chaotic. Drawing deeply on old art anchors my work in ancient times. Medieval illuminated manuscripts, Indo-Persian art, Renaissance paintings and Byzantine architecture have all inspired me.
Researching in books and keeping sketchbooks is intrinsic to developing paintings. I make a preparatory drawing, then create many layers of colour, initially with washes and then with more of a dry brush technique, mostly working in watercolour on paper. I balance the tones to create the atmosphere that I seek, finally unified by the alchemy of gold leaf, inscribing image and texture into the gold to add the narrative. It becomes an almost meditative process.
The mood I want to create is above all an uplifting one. It is rooted in the idea of a paradise garden, an escape from everyday life, a sanctuary, helping to hold at bay the claustrophobia of modern life and giving a sense of balance. The viewer might be reminded subliminally of long forgotten motifs and patterns but can create their own narrative. Gold leaf has a fascination for me – it can illuminate a painting. The moment the gold is finished is when the whole picture comes to life.
