“Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature.”
Marcus Tullius Cicero
I’m based in Yorkshire (UK) and make paintings, installations, artist’s books, site specific and socially engaged work.
The work has always been driven by an interest in the environment and for many years explored through abstracted painted images (eg Blue Series). After reading about the Aral Sea disaster, I went to Kazakhstan to draw and paint the story of the people and place deeply affected by Sea shrinking due to irrigation for cotton. In just a generation the then 4th largest fresh water lake had shrunk by half and become saline.
The Aral Sea disaster is impossible to reverse as the redirected rivers support millions of people. However, this experience deeply impacted me as I noted the speed and scale was an issue of time. That took me down a path of investigating ‘Time’ and how it contributes to situations such as the Aral Sea. Exploring time from a practical, philosophical and personal level and creating artworks that were vehicles to experience different time rhythms.
Concern for the environment was a growing weight and led me to move to creating artist’s books seeing them as lighter on the environment than the larger oils on canvas that I’d been making. I also began to make performative pieces.
Art residencies have always been important in my work, enabling me to interact with others and make ‘socially engaged’ work. My passion for change and finding ways to create change led me to train as a life coach – through which I discovered a love of questions!
Some years later I also connected with Permaculture and after doing a PDC (Permaculture Design Course), a Diploma in Applied Permaculture, I am now a tutor for the UK Diploma course and support others exploring design with a permaculture approach.
For me, Permaculture draws together creativity and design with environmental concern being at its heart. I uses it consistently in my creative work.
Click on a link below to view a collection of art works
Exhibitions
Current and Up coming
Sun and Moon, 2014
Shifting Borders: A journey to the centre of our world(s)
‘Sun and Moon’ and ‘A Penny in the Heavens’ are being exhibited as part of this exhibition.
At ‘Treasures of the Brotherton’ Gallery at Leeds University (in the Parkinson Building, Woodhouse Lane)
Until Thursday 23 December 2023
More details here
A Penny in the Heavens, 2014
Solo Exhibitions
2020
Kazakh Paintings – Left Bank Leeds
2016
Arbour – Goodwin Parade, Thornton, Hull
Exhibition of Artists Books and Spaces inbetween Presentation – The Leeds Library, Leeds
2020
Kazakh Paintings – Left Bank Leeds
2016
Arbour – Goodwin Parade, Thornton, Hull
Exhibition of Artists Books and Spaces Inbetween (Performance) – The Leeds Library, Leeds
2015
Featured Artist – Gallery202 Online
2014
A fragile landscape – Cianciana, Sicily
From Leeds to Cianciana – Osmondthorpe Allotments, Leeds
2012
Now you see it, now you don’t – Cafe 164, Munro House, Duke Street, Leeds
Remember – Scargill House, Kettlewell, Skipton
2011
To the Sea and back again – ESA, Patrick Studios, St. Mary’s Lane, Leeds, LS9 7EH
2008
Brethericks Winter Exhibition – Brethericks Gallery, Leeds
2006
Flower Icon – Brethericks Gallery, Leeds
2005
Frontiers of the Sea – Brethericks Gallery, Leeds
Ships in the desert – School Gallery, Huby, Leeds
Shifting Shores – The Crypt Cafe Gallery, Islington, London
2004
Shifting Shores – Intermission, Knightsbridge, London
2003
Being Human on Planet Earth – The English Centre, Shimkent, Kazakhstan
Inside Out – Intermission, Knightsbridge, London
2000
Frontiers of the Sea – Clic Cafe Gallery, LICC, London
Flowers & Painting – Brethericks Gallery, Leeds
1999
Drawn Upwards – The Courtyard Cafe Gallery, Notting Hill, London
Group Exhibitions
2019
ABC (Artists Book Collective) – Sheffield Artists Book Fair, Castle House, Sheffield
BABE – Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol
PAGES New Voices Collection – ROAR, Rotherham, Doncaster Art Gallery and Museum and The Cooper Gallery, Barnsley
Artists’ Bookmarket – The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh
20th International Contemporary Artists’ Book Fair – The Tetley, Leeds
2018
20th International Contemporary Artists’ Book Fair – The Tetley, Leeds
2017
Future Legacies: Collections, collecting and artists books – Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery, Leeds University, Leeds
Code 5: A time to change – Thornton, Hull
2016
Code 5: A moment to pause – Thornton, Hull
Accrocharge – Gallery 202 and Albus3, Northampton
19th International Contemporary Artists’ Book Fair – The Tetley, Leeds
2015
The Other Art Fair – Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London
Saltaire Open Arts Trail – Saltaire, Bradford
The Other Art Fair – Victoria House, Holborn, London
Stations of the Cross – St. Edmunds Church, Leeds
18th International Contemporary Artists’ Book Fair – The Tetley, Leeds
2014
Dortmunder Gruppe – BIG Gallery, Dortmund, Germany
So Far So Awesome – Fountains Abbey, Ripon, Yorkshire
Passareddu – Cianciana, Sicily
17th International Contemporary Artists’ Book Fair – The Tetley, Leeds
Under the Bed exhibition – Cupola Gallery, Sheffield
2012
Paisajes de Fondo – Poca Gallery, Calle de Abatxolo N°5-Izquierda (Lonja), Portugalete 48920, Bizkaia
In-tension (live screening) – the collective – Durban, South Africa
In-tension (live screening) – Gallerie 143, Dortmund, Germany
Homa – Horsforth Modern Art Gallery, Leeds
Rapture Galley – 2 Westmoreland Street, Harrogate
Ghost in the Machine – Shine Business Centre, Harehills Road, Leeds
2011
Papercraft – Cafe 164, Munro House, Duke Street, Leeds
NYOS – (North Yorkshire Open Studios), Henshaws, Knaresborough
Home from Home – Leeds Internation Book Fair, Leeds (Curated by Louise Atkinson)
Bar Lane Studios Cafe – 1 Bar Lane, York, YO1 6JU
2010
Behold – St. John the Baptist Church, Knaresborough, HG5 9AR
2009
Advent – Left Bank, Headingley, Leeds
2008
Plein Air – Astana, Kazakhstan
Hope – CART Exhibition, Bradford Cathedral, Bradford
2007
Climate Change – Yorkshire Craft Centre, Bradford
Immanent – CART Exhibition, Bradford Cathedral, Bradford
2006
Wallacespace – 2 Dryden Street, London WC2E 9NA
2005
Greenbelt Arts Festival – Cheltenham Race Course
Open Exhibition – The Mercer Gallery, Harrogate
2004
Open Studios – The Chocolate Factory, London
Passion – Fitzrovia St. Charles Borromeo, Fitzrovia London
London Layers – Sheridan Russel Gallery, London
2003
Open Studios – The Chocolate Factory, London
St. Gemma’s Hospice Third Annual Art Exhibition – Leeds
The Wrong Exhibition – The Custard Factory, Birmingham
Art for Arts Sake – Hampstead Town Hall, London
2002
Art @ BRB The Gate – Wood Green, London
Unconstrained – The Ladder, Haringey, London
Open Studios – The Chocolate factory, Wood Green, London
Art for Arts Sake – Hampstead Town Hall, London
2001
Open Studios – The Chocolate factory, Wood Green, London
Greenbelt Arts Festival – Cheltenham Race Course, Cheltenham
The Cross – Bradford Cathedral, Bradford
Healing – The Gallery, Stoke Newington & Deptford
2000
Open Studios – The Chocolate factory, Wood Green, London
Alps2000 – Charity Auction, London
CA2000 – Troon, Holland
City Profit – NewYork, USA and Notting Hill Arts Club, London
1999
Open Studios – The Chocolate factory, Wood Green, London
Sublime – Waterloo International Station, London
Non-fiction – Epicentre, Barcoast, Battersea, London
1998
Haringey 5th Open Exhibition – Wood Green Library, London
United Society of Artists – Westminster Central Hall, London
Faces & Places – Art Co. Meanwood Road, Leeds
Interbang – Gallery Fore, Edmonton, London and Gallery Five, Southgate, London
Art Residencies
2019
Dear FB… a corresponding room – Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds
2016 – 2017
Code 5 Residency – Thornton, Hull
2015
Incomplete and Contradictory – Peterborough
2015 – 2016
The Spaces In-between – Performance/Presentation of Artists Books
2014
Jerome F. Cox Sculpture Fellowship – Cianciana, Sicily
2008
Plein Air – Astana, Kazakhstan
2003
Being Human on Planet Earth – The English Centre, Shimkent, Kazakhstan
Inside Out – Intermission, Knightsbridge, London