My love of the natural world started early : as a small child, I would spend hours trailing through the woods and fields which surrounded my home, searching for wild flowers and insects and objects for the school nature table. Then I was lucky enough to study botany at “A level, ” and discovered the amazing world of plants, particularly under the microscope.
This love inspired much of my teaching career. I specialised in teaching art and design, mainly in primary schools, encouraging children to observe and draw carefully, making connections between art and science in the world around us.
On retirement I decided it was time to put some of my ideas into practice for myself, and studied botanical illustration at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. I was totally hooked! My new, all-absorbing hobby had begun.
Now living in Devon, my garden, and nearby lanes and beaches provide me with an endless source of inspiration. I use detailed, accurate paintings (mainly in watercolour, but I also use ink and coloured pencils) of small elements of the natural world to create designs which celebrate its beauty, diversity and interdependence. The circle, representing the cycle of life, creatures and plants which co-exist in different environments, pattern and symmetry, are recurring themes of my work.