About

inspiration, materials and the process

About Me...

I have been working as a professional artist since 2006, balancing self-employment with raising my family. In 2009 I opened Seagrass Studio Gallery, a safe haven to disappear into, providing space to hone my skills, teach children (I have a B.Ed Hons in art and design), and work one to one with adults and small groups. Additionally I trained as an integrative counsellor and completed a Diploma in Art Therapy Skills to add to my toolbox.

The Process...

Ihave been developing my artistic practice all my life and continue to grow and evolve. As I’ve matured in years, I’ve learned that doing more of what I love has enabled me to mature in style and be clearer about what I want to express, and how to express it.

expressing both joy and immense pleasure derives from being out in the landscape

More recently it has been about expressing both joy and immense pleasure derived from being out in the landscape, though increasingly about my need to protect our fragile planet.

Consequently, there is light and dark in my paintings; involving both courage and risk taking in my mark making as I dialogue with my inner-feelings and give voice to them visibly.

In my paintings, I invariably add sand or earth collected on my daily dog walks, either applying the grains in my paints or applying directly to the canvas. The paintings embody tactile memory of the places I visit and become tangible objects that are rich in texture and layers, mirroring the landscape itself. Often the layers are scraped away, or scratched into, revealing their history, or paint is applied with such lightness of touch, barely kissing the surface that it just picks up the highlights.

jo_in_the_studio

Other surface textures are created with iron filings and seawater to create rust, or patinated copper dust. This process is intuitive and freeing to begin with, as I build up the layers of textures. Gradually I respond with more discernment, refining as I begin to ‘see’ and develop the final piece.

CREATIVITY

TAKES COURAGE

HENRI MATISSE

Exhibitions

Seagrass Studio Gallery, West Kirby, Staacks, West Kirby, Blue Moon Gallery, Heswall, Rathbone Gallery, Birkenhead, Williamson Art Gallery, Birkenhead, Atkinson Gallery, Southport, Editions Gallery, Liverpool, Chester Art Fair, (Chester Race Course), Willow Gallery, Oswestry

Purchases by and Commissions on permanent display

Liverpool Aintree Hospital, Liverpool, Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral, Heswall Golf Club, Wirral