About Me
After studying Art and Design at Wakefield College. I proceeded to study Textile Crafts at Huddersfield University and graduated with a BA Hons degree in 2002.
My academic career began in Further Education spanning over 20 years of service teaching and supporting learners in an area of high deprivation leading to teacher burnout and loss of artistic identity.
Recognising and seeking to renew the creative process, I began to study again at Oxford Brookes University. I am currently in my final year of an MA in Artist-Teacher Practice, reawakening the dormant creative self and revitalising my artistic aspirations.
Artist Statement
Born and raised on countless council estates in a flux of continuous fragmented stability, never laying down roots has led me to lead lots of little unfinished lives.
The threads of time call me back to versions of myself that I can’t fully recall, challenging the narrative I have built over the years.
Through creative media, I have begun to explore the past.
As my work begins to chart my life, I am conscious of the value of stability, protection and transformation.
My work is becoming more interdisciplinary. I explore the mediums of painting and fibre using ethically sourced and sustainable materials. These materials have led me to discover and become increasingly aware of the protective and transformative spaces created by the natural world, which recall elements of my own life.
Current theme: Lived Experiences of Maternal Loss and Childhood Adversity
My current body of work is introspective, exploring childhood trauma, maternal loss and matrescence. I examine loss and the impact this has on my artwork and identity.
I sometimes feel caught in a liminal state between maternal, personal, and professional responsibilities. I am beginning to re-establish a sense of self.
The natural world and sustainability are pivotal in the material choices made throughout the work. Exploring the natural dyeing process and use of locally sourced natural fibre.
Echoing and projecting notions of protection, nature, and nurture through the works evoked my maternal instincts and the conflict between nature and nurture, as well as what should have been, and the reality of maternal trauma.