About
Background
I've always been fascinated by people, places and the stories that connect them.
Living by the sea has taught me to notice the changing light, shifting skies and quiet moments that so often find their way into my paintings. Just as inspiring, though, is people watching, the wonderfully ordinary moments that reveal so much about who we are.
My work has evolved alongside my life. What began as expressive abstract landscapes gradually opened the door to figurative work, where people, memory and narrative became a natural part of my practice. Today, my paintings often sit somewhere between observation and imagination, celebrating colour, texture and the unexpected discoveries that happen when we allow ourselves to explore.
My own creative journey has certainly taken a few unexpected turns. I studied at Chelsea School of Art in the 1990s and, although life led me in different directions before I completed my degree, those years sparked a lifelong curiosity and love of making.
While raising my four children, I worked in interior design before fulfilling a long-held dream of opening a children's shop. For twenty years it became a joyful place filled with fair-trade toys, organic cotton clothing and beautifully illustrated books, long before they became commonplace. Looking back, I can see that the seeds of what I do today were already there, a love of colour, imagination, storytelling and creating spaces where people felt welcome.
Eventually, the pull of painting became impossible to ignore. I returned to study Fine Art at Norwich University of the Arts, graduating with a First Class BA (Hons). Returning to university later in life was both challenging and deeply rewarding. It gave me the confidence to fully embrace life as a practising artist while continuing to evolve and grow with every painting I create.
I still see myself as a student of creativity. Every day in the studio teaches me something new, and that sense of curiosity continues to shape both my artwork and everything I share with others.
Practice
My practice is built on curiosity.
Every painting begins with a question rather than an answer. I'm endlessly fascinated by what happens when colour, texture and unexpected marks are allowed to find their own conversation. Some discoveries stay with me. Others lead me somewhere completely unexpected. That's the joy of making.
As a practising artist, my work is constantly evolving. I don't believe creativity stands still, and neither do I. Every painting teaches me something new, and every new discovery finds its way back into my workshops.
I don't separate my life as an artist from my life as a teacher. They nourish one another.
The studio is where I explore.
The workshops are where I share that excitement with others.
Whether I'm creating a new body of work or introducing someone to a paintbrush for the very first time, the feeling is remarkably similar.
It's that wonderful moment when curiosity replaces fear.
When experimentation becomes play.
When wonder quietly takes over.
For me, that is what creativity has always been about.
Not perfection.
Not rules.
Simply the courage to begin, the freedom to explore, and the joy of discovering something you didn't know was possible.
Art Retreat
A place to pause, create and rediscover your curiosity.
Bloomsbury House is more than a place to stay.
It's a place to slow down.
My husband, James, and I lovingly restored this beautiful coastal house while I was studying Fine Art at university. From the beginning, we imagined it as somewhere people could step away from the busyness of everyday life, breathe a little deeper and reconnect with the simple joy of noticing.
Just a short stroll from Sheringham's Blue Flag beach and promenade, the house is filled with original artwork, carefully chosen objects and cosy corners designed to make you feel instantly at home.
Whether you're wandering along the shoreline, sketchbook in hand, curling up with a book, or simply watching the ever-changing North Norfolk skies, Bloomsbury House invites you to embrace a slower pace and awaken your sense of wonder.
For those who'd like to explore their creativity, I also offer tailor-made art workshops. You don't need experience or confidence—just curiosity. Together we'll experiment, play, discover new ways of seeing and perhaps surprise ourselves along the way.
Come for the coast.
Stay for the creativity.
Leave feeling restored.
Blanefield Art Alchemy
Liberating Creativity. Awakening Wonder.
I don't believe creativity belongs to a talented few.
I believe it belongs to all of us.
Somewhere along the way, many of us stop believing we're creative. We become busy, self-conscious, or convinced we're "just not artistic". I love proving that little voice wrong.
My workshops aren't about producing perfect paintings. They're about giving people permission to play again.
I work with colour, collage, paint and joyful experimentation, but the real transformation isn't what appears on the paper.
It's what happens to the person making it.
I see it every week.
Someone walks through the door quietly saying, "I can't draw."
A few hours later they're smiling, paint on their hands, completely absorbed, wondering what they'll create next.
Those moments never stop amazing me.
As an artist, my own work is inspired by the ever-changing Norfolk coast, weather, light and the stories we carry through life. I love expressive marks, unexpected colour and the beautiful surprises that happen when we stop trying to control every outcome.
As a teacher, I simply want to create a space where people feel safe enough to explore, laugh, experiment and discover something they perhaps thought they'd lost.
Come exactly as you are.
Leave with more than a painting.
Leave feeling a little lighter, a little braver, and perhaps a little more like yourself.