Artist Statement

Watercolour landscape paintings of Derbyshire Dales.

Growing up in the flat lands of the West of England, I enjoyed drawing and painting. My degree is in textiles with an MA specialising in Printed Design. A love of nature, wildlife and getting out into the landscape, is a thread that runs through my life.

Moving to Derbyshire Dales in 1997, I began painting landscapes, forming a strong bond with the area; its soft rolling hills, quirky undulating land, dramatic cliff faces, surprise town vistas, tree-topped hills, and parks. Figures flit into the work, integrating into the environment. How we fit into the landscape is significant to me. A snowy scene has a strong appeal, the bones and structures are revealed. Singular or groups of trees, often form an integral part of the composition or subject matter, such as the Oker tree, Peak Tor or Minninglow. Using a variety of brushes for loose more sketchy marks along with pencil details.

More recently, I enjoyed a project to celebrate Derbyshire trees. Seventy artworks were produced for Treasuring Trees exhibition at Buxton Museum & Art Gallery 2022. This included digitally layered drawings/ photographic prints as part of a ‘community tree treasure hunt’. What3words was used to help locate the trees and add to the artworks. Watercolour landscapes and more detailed pen & ink studies were made. I also worked with two other artists to respond to the same subject of a group of wonderful old, twisted Hawthorns found in Cressbrookdale Nature Reserve at Wardlow Haycop.

My work has been described by one art curator as ‘the artist to depict landscape that is the Derbyshire Dales’.

Originals, fine art reproductions, cards and mugs are available, as are canvas prints (to order), these are all made in Derbyshire Dales.