Hi!
My paintings are atmospheric and full of history. I specialise in portraits and still life, often with fabrics such as lace and silk (I like a challenge). I am an art historian, art tutor and artist. I studied art history at university (MA, PhD), but then became a visual artist. History is a consistent theme in my paintings, as I try to incorporate a sense of the past, of those that went before us, into all my work. This historic 'baggage' is what gives our lives today, our identity, meaning and nuance. This ever-changing dialogue between the past and the present provides me with endless opportunities for thought and art.
I started out working in soft pastel and added oils later. Those remained my main materials and I often use techniques from pastel while working in oils. When you work with pastel, for example, you cannot mix your colours on a palette, but you have to mix them on your paper. This technique can be applied in oils as well, with a lively and varied effect. For various reasons I prefer not to work with toxic materials and so I work with oils 'straight from the tube' without adding any mediums. This keeps the painting process safe and simple.
I have exhibited my work widely and in various annual society shows in London, such as the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Pastel Society, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, and the RWA in Bristol. I was honoured to exhibit a piece in the same room as Anthony van Dyck's famous self portrait, in an exhibition on self portraits at Manchester Art Gallery. In 2013 a self portrait was selected for the (then called) BP Portrait Award, and I was awarded the BP Travel Award, which allowed me to travel, research and subsequently exhibit a series of paintings at the National Portrait Gallery in London in 2014. Solo and duo shows at the Harley Gallery in Nottinghamshire and Catto Gallery (London) were exciting opportunities to further my painting career. I have exhibited in the US through Haynes Galleries in Nashville and Principle Gallery in Alexandria, in Belgium ('t Apostelientje) and The Netherlands. Over the years I have taken on many portrait commissions, varying from head masters to grandchildren.
I have given many talks and demonstrations, and taught painting workshops from my studio, and later online. My online painting courses developed into my online art school where all my courses (oils, pastel, portraiture) can be explored by those who want to improve their painting skills.
I have been blogging about (my and other) art since 2004. It has developed into a very popular blog for artists and art lovers and is full of reviews, tutorials, and information (with around 25K visitors per month at its peak). An older blog is still live, but the oldest blog is sadly no longer around, but on this website you will find hundreds of posts with painting tips and techniques, product and exhibition reviews, art history stories, and much more. Over the years I have written various articles for art magazines such as Artists & Illustrator's Magazine and The Artist's Magazine.
After many years as an artist I have recently decided to explore new challenges and go back to university, and so I am not painting professionally anymore (so I am not taking on new portrait commissions). I am currently spending most of my time researching ancient Roman art at the University of Warwick.
If you want to see my past publications and exhibitions, please check out my CV.
Happy browsing!
