About
Background - Early Work
I discovered early on that creative energy is free flowing, not something to be harnessed. You have to be enthusiastic and inspired about what you do.
I have been passionate about art since childhood, in particular drawing people, animals and interesting costumes. I recall being heavily laden down with art related gifts from school friends at birthday parties.
After ‘A’ Levels I went to art college for a year to do an advanced course in Art & Design. Then I studied English Literary Theory and Criticism, Creative Writing, Linguistics and History for my University degree. I really enjoyed workshopping writing with fellow students and wrote my dissertation on “John Keats The Chamleon Poet: A Study of His Escape From Society and Self Through His Art of Camouflage”. I was drawn to Keats's complex inquiring mind, use of powerful colour imagery found not only in his poems but also his letters and his sense of displacement in society.
Since leaving University I have painted sporadically and have concentrated mostly on photography and graphics. I have had a challenging and interesting career to date, having worked for over a decade in a wide range of industries and roles.. It got to a point where I was so preoccupied with work commitments and other interests that I hadn't picked up a paint brush or pencil for years. Although I enjoyed visting art exhibitions, particularly artists who work in a media different to me such as sculpture (see photo opposite) whereas I work with mostly with pencil, paints and inks.
Creative Rediscovery - Present Day
In 2013, I joined a couple of art classes and started drawing again. I was curious to see to see how my style had changed and to a standard I set myself. I found I really missed the immediacy of drawing and got hooked ever since. Technology can do some amazing things but it is not as organic as a raw image brought to life before your eyes from just a few pencil strokes or smudges of charcoal on paper.
Ever since I feel I have been drawing to a higher standard than before. This previous neglect of my creative talents has been the driving force behind my recent work. It's not enough for me to capture the physical appearance of a character, I am motivated to portray their thoughts and emotions. I like to add my own ideas such as combining individuals and animals to make it unique. In particular I feel inspired by individuals & subjects from TV, film, music and theatre.
About This Website's Design
I chose to design and build this website myself using Adobe Dreamweaver and Photoshop. I wanted the challenge of having full creative influence over the design. All photographs were taken by myself and I created the navigation buttons from scratch using photo imaging software.