The Artist

"An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.”

Art was a subject I loved at school but didn’t pursue as a career, instead qualifying as an I.S.T.D professional dancer - choreographing, performing, instructing and managing dance/fitness studios. A career I absolutely loved. 

My interest in art was revived when we moved to Abu Dhabi in 1997, I joined a pastel art group and really enjoyed learning how to create in this medium, progressing to participating in exhibitions with the group. This lead to being commissioned to do Pet Portraits; it was so nice meeting peoples pets whilst taking numerous photographs to get the perfect shots to work from.

Over the years my art has developed and I discovered the medium I prefer the most is the simple pencil; I like the control I have over a portrait and the amount of detail I can achieve. My love of animals makes them my natural subject matter and they are now the subject I focus on; I find nothing more satisfying than trying to capture on canvas an animal’s personality. To further my knowledge, I studied Pet Portraiture with the London College of Art.

Originally I am from Dorset but have lived abroad for most of my adult life. We recently relocated back to the UK to Leicestershire from Qatar. Having lived in countries where animal welfare is severely lacking, I am very passionate about promoting responsibility to animals. You will find various animal rescue stories in my blog from my time spent living abroad. 

The dance shoes have now sadly been retired as the knees are no longer quite so willing, however I am really enjoying creativity in the form of art.

My babies - rescued when they were 2 days old from a carrier bag where they had been dumped in a storm drain in the Philippines. Lots of sleepless nights bottle feeding followed. 

Now 15 years old and have very full passports having lived in 6 countries. They are now experiencing the cool air in the UK but aren't overly impressed!