About the Artist

Working on rice paper with ink
About myself, my painting methods and ideas.
I feel that I have been an artist since my earliest memories. As a child I used to watch the change of the seasons, or lie in a field and watch the sky float over. Nature, animals, everything seemed magical and created all kinds of images in my mind. I still 'see' paintings in my mind and love to set off on a visual journey each time I start a new painting.

I was born in Malta and christened in Nicosia, Cyprus. At the time my father was a Commander in the Royal Navy. When I was 3, we moved to Lagos, Nigeria, for a year. My earliest visual memories are of the incredibly strong light and deep, contrasting shadows, and also of the vibrant colours and definite shapes. At the time I made some paintings of the exotic trees and plants, and the brightly-clad people we saw in the city. These memories affected how I view painting and colour.

I studied Painting at Canterbury College of Art, where my personal tutor was Mali Morris, and I had tutorials with Clyde Hopkins, Prof. Stephen Farthing, Peter Griffin, Carole Robertson and Eileen Cooper.

I went to Cyprus in 1984. My painting tutor at Canterbury College of Art, Stass Paraskos, had a Summer School at Lemba, on the western coast of Cyprus. I ended up staying in Cyprus for 14 years, and lived in Nicosia. The experience affected my painting deeply as I began to explore patterns, colours and shapes. For many years I painted and drew the city from rooftops, and also painted the landscape. Then I discovered the old Hamam (Turkish Baths), which was not far from my flat, and that became a rich, ongoing source of material and inspiration.

Whether my paintings are about the world around me, or my inner world, it is always important that they explore the underlying, mysterious energies of paint and colour. I constantly experience the world through my painting, and my painting practice is extended by the world and my environment.

Along with my interest in the spirit of colour, I have always loved Chinese ink paintings and my three trips to China affirmed my deep love of calligraphy and brush strokes. For further information on my approach and ideas, please see my 'Statement' section (within the CV section) which describes my process in more depth.

Over the years I have made many exhibitions, in the UK, China, Latvia, Belarus, Cyprus, Malaysia and Greece.

COLLECTIONS:

My large painting, 'The Silk Road and Human Exchange' is now in the collection of the China Artists Association in Beijing, China

I have four paintings in the permanent collection at the Mark Rothko Centre in Daugavpils, Latvia.

I have works in the collections of Uri Geller, and the sculptor, Art Critic Tim Scott.

A large canvas of Nicosia is in the Municipal Hall in Nicosia, Cyprus.