I live and work in rural Sussex. I have always lived in the country, I can’t imagine living anywhere else. It feeds my soul. I wake early to hear the dawn chorus, I walk round the fields, hedgerows and woods. It makes me incredibly happy to hear the first cuckoo or to come across a bright-blue empty blackbird egg knowing it has just hatched. My work is heavily influenced by the countryside around me.
I grew up in a big family of five on a farm in the north of Scotland with a very creative mother. She always had big paintings on the go. We had an attic where all our projects and mess could be made. It was a blissful rural childhood with an assortment of animals. I was taught to be very self-contained and encouraged to be creative.
I had a grandmother I adored who was also creative. Her name was Merlin; she kept doves and a parrot. Her Muscovy duck was always at the door waiting to come in. I think I inherited my love of birds from her.
“Because you are alive, everything is possible.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh
P.S. I Love This
My favorite thing in my studio is probably my dog Nettle—she is like a small hot water bottle on my feet. After her, it would be my small screen for printing. It has a fine mesh and is very light. It always creates crisp, clean lines and is fail-proof. It is quite old now and has been re-stretched many times.
I remember drawing as a tiny child: sketchbooks and diaries. I used my bedroom as my expression. I was always painting it new colors and displaying my finds. I remember selling my A-level artwork at a school exhibition once, and I remember thinking then that this is what I wanted to do.
I feel very lucky to have been taught to see the world through an artist’s eye. It makes me notice and look. It gives me so much pleasure in the everyday and in my surroundings. Aside from my business, being creative plays a huge role in my personal life. I have filled my home with things I have made or found. I have printed birds and animals on the walls, I have made the curtains, lampshades and cushions. None of it is perfect, but it is definitely my home! I love to make things for the kids and have always preferred to make, do and mend vs. buying things.
My style is very simple and fresh. I spend most of my time drawing to get the shapes how I want them. Then I create a simple silhouette. I love simplicity, and I love placing simple shapes together to create a design. My inspiration is definitely from the countryside around me. Birds are my main inspiration. I watch the way they interact with each other and other animals. I also love the drawings of Picasso, Matisse and Henry Moore. My biggest challenge I think has been finding the confidence to push myself forward. I am quite a shy, quiet person, and putting my own work out at shows and fairs has been hard.
