Barbican Roof Panorama and St Giles 

Acrylic on Recycled, reversed palette papers

32.8 x 87.3 x 4 (Double framed with anti-reflective glass so the reverse image - third image - can be viewed). 

This painting is one of two recently exhibited at Bankside Gallery for the Royal Watercolour Society Contemporary Art Competition. I was awarded the Cass Art Solo Show award for my contribution to the exhibition. The triptych featured above demonstrates my process of palimpsest work: the first image is the front of the painting; the second middle image shows the viewer what the painting looks like when held up to the light and the third image reveals the reverse of the painting which is carefully preserved for viewing by double framing. 
My practice
I am primarily a water-based and mixed media artist employing a range of materials including recycled palette papers on which I paint in acrylic, cardboard, recycled materials as well as hand made Japanese papers. My practice is spontaneous, experimental as well as intuitive although considerable research also takes place both into my urban brutal landscape on the Estate (see my first Solo Show Barbican Estate work) as well as my interest in the aesthetic of ancient historical imagery (see my second Solo show on the Silk Roads). Recently, I have been working towards abstraction as well as experimenting with the different synthesthesia (the relationship between music and colour and form). This has proven to be an exciting field for exploring watercolour. I have also experimented with hand-made sumi inks and Japanese papers developing a more abstract, western adaptation of Sumie painting.  

Artistic Education
I am largely self-taught working spontaneously and experimentally from my studio on the Barbican Estate. However the mentorship and friendship of Swedish artist Ake Arnedal (2014-2017) whose open studio I attended at the Hampstead School of Art between 2012-2014 was pivotal in my development from an artist working on her own at home to a professional artist, engaged in selling her art and exhibiting regularly. At HSA evening classes, I also attended Nigel Caple's Acrylic Painting course and Vincent Milne's Oil painting classes as well as weekly Life drawing and Ake Arnedal's Collage and Mixed Media classes 2016-2017. At HSA, I was given a small solo space in the old cafeteria for my first mixed media exhibition entitled "When the laundry is Done, I will..." Ake encouraged me to enter the Royal Academy Summer Show in 2017, my first ever application for a public show. Between 2017-2018, I attended the beginner and then advanced City Lit Introduction to Printing Courses as well as Photography. I have worked full-time since moving to the Barbican Estate in 2014 exploring the creativity of my brutal urban landscape as well as my interest in the ancient aesthetic of the Silk Roads which was the subject of my recent solo show. I undertook an online Sumie course which lead to my own adaptation of this for a 100 Day Project. My continuing education as well as teaching and collaboration takes place in a series of peer review, artist collaborative groups on Zoom with international artists. These weekly meetings with different but overlapping artists both introduce me to new techniques as well as involve me teaching and developing my practice with other artists. I have taught peer group sessions on abstraction, sumie painting, intuitive mark making and working with cardboard packaging. With these groups I have for example refreshed my printing techniques, learnt how to create artist books, and made these (including with other artists with works "travelling" from country to country), concertina book making, portraiture and figurative work    I have been a professional artist regularly selling my work at my solo shows, group shows, the Artist Pledge, charity shows and directly through my instagram account. My work is in private individual collections in the Barbican Estate, North and South London, Cambridge, Sweden, Canada, Ireland and Hong Kong

Group Shows
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2017 (one mixed media painting sold on opening night)
Candid Art Gallery Mixed Media Exhibition (six mixed media works selected) April 2018 
Brick Lane Gallery “Art in Mind” (13 mixed media works) May-June 2018 
Brick Lane Gallery (five canvas paintings) July-August 2018
Old Print Works, Birmingham exhibition entitled “Home” (four mixed media paintings selected) July-August 2018
The Old Biscuit Factory, South Bermondsey “Alpha Theta” February 2019
Parallellax Fair (February 2019 – 8 mixed media paintings and 10 etchings)
Royal Watercolour Society Contemporary Art Exhibition, Bankside Gallery (March 2019) Two works selected Winner Cass Art Prize
Royal Watercolour Society Contemporary Art Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, (March 2020) Judge's Selection, Kristian Day
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, (Sept 2021) Painting sold on the opening night. Interviewed for RA short video introducing a few select artists
National Brain Appeal Donation of Art, July 2021
D31 Art Gallery Doncaster Summer Show August 2021
Royal Watercolour Society Open March 2022
100 Day Project Scotland 2022 
National Brain Appeal Donation of Art, July 2022
Prosaic Show, "Speculative Proposals" Bloc Studios, Sheffield (Jan-Feb 2023) 
Prosaic Show "Increased Speculation", Bloc Studios, Sheffield (March-April 2023)
Royal Watercolour Society Open, March 2023

Solo Shows
Solo show Barbican Library Art Gallery (October 2-28th 2019)
Solo Show Cass Art Flagship Store, Islington (December 3-17 2021)

Prizes
March 2019: Cass Art Solo Show Prize awarded by The Royal Watercolour Society, Bankside Gallery, London
Back to Top