It all began in the 1970s as a schoolgirl loving art - my favourite subject.
There was also life as a gymnast and a place in the Olympics in 1976 competing against the likes of the great Nadia Comaneci
A Level study from 1978 ‘In honour of D.S. Lowrey’ inspired by my father’s Northern roots. Then the pencils, pens and paint brushes were put away for over thirty years as focus turned to family and a career in TV production.
Thank goodness for the invention of the Apple Pencil, Procreate, the IPad and being able to create digital art - long journeys didn’t seem so long anymore while there was art work to create. This digital artwork was produced 40 years later in 2018. Many more digital works would follow.
Digital art was great fun but I wanted to experiment and be more ambitious. Experiments with alcohol inks and paint pouring followed as well as acrylics and oils.
Landscapes have always been a favourite with different and vibrant colour combinations, textures and big big skies. Is there anywhere better than the wonderful Cornish coastline?
Then it was lockdown and art was a saviour. Walks in the Peak District inspiring ‘Green Fields’ which were soon to become ‘Bright Fields’.
More experimentation and inspiration would follow including a wonderful course in Cornwall teaching the techniques of painting on maps (thank you Kit Johns).
Over the years it’s safe to say I’ve had an obsession with trees. I have thousands of reference photos captured from iconic locations like Kew Gardens and Richmond Park. I have painted them in almost every shape and form experimenting with different techniques and styles using textures, sand, paints thick and thin and spray effects.
The spray effect trees have been the most popular. I’ve completed them in almost every shape and size and color combination - all based on real trees. The ‘A splash of………’ series come in a wide range of blues, greens, oranges, neon colours and metallics, gold, silver and bronze. They are built up using multiple layers - as many as 20 to 25.
A base is built up using acrylics and fine spray. I have also used a background of metal leaf in gold and bronze as well as brushed aluminum. The basic tree frame is then created using photos as reference. Real foliage is used on top of this as a ‘brush’ to add to the underlying shape of the tree. Thicker paint is then used to add texture to the trunk and branches. Then layers of ‘spray’ are added to create depth and the overall tree shape.
I’ve loved learning and meeting with other artists. There’s always a new challenge and the knowledge that you can keep improving. I’ve heard many artists say they would love to find their style, but I’m not sure that’s what I seek to do, I would rather keep experimenting and keep trying new things.