About Me

I was born in Manchester and went to secondary school in Blackburn, where I did an Art Foundation course before going to Art College in Wolverhampton to do a BA Honours Degree in Fine Art

I moved to North Wales in 1983 and was elected as Member of the Royal Cambrian Academy, which is based in Conwy. I trained in Bangor as a teacher and have been teaching full time in Special Education for over 20 years.

The richness of my home environment of Llanfairfechan in Conwy, with its woodland, sea and hills, has provided me with a constant source of inspiration.

Much of my spare time is spent walking in the mountains of Snowdonia; the inspiration for my work comes from these beautiful surroundings. I always have a camera or sketch pad with me, but when the weather is dry I will spend the day drawing or painting from life.

I love to absorb the atmosphere of the day, listen to the different sounds, inhale the fresh air and smell the earth, the animals and the wild flowers. The light can change rapidly but I always feel that working on the spot brings more life to my pictures. I draw quickly in my sketch pad with pencil, pen and watercolours to gather information and capture the essence of the moment.

If I can, I will return to the spot to work on and complete a picture in pastel, oil or acrylic, if the weather or location doesn't permit it, I’ll work from the sketches or photos and develop them back home in my studio.