About me
My journey into the wonderful world of creativity started as a little girl, I loved to draw, paint and create. A particular favourite pastime was replicating Van Gogh’s art works; my Dad’s office walls were full of these colourful creations!
Through my own art creation and the workshops I have led, I have experienced the impact of art and creativity on my own well being and witnessed the effect on others as they have journeyed into their creative landscape.
Exploration of materials and techniques engage people in the art of storytelling, creating connections between each other, their immediate surroundings and their wider environment.
Self expression is empowering, instilling confidence and has affirmed in me the need and importance of art and creativity as food for the soul.
My creative works explore the world as a living playground full of energy, beauty and inspiration. Much of my work uses freehand machine embroidery to create expressions of colour and symbolic representations of stories created and tales reinterpreted. Celebrations of life, of friendships, of the silver trail of a snail, and the chatter of the hills, of the majestic journeys in unknown lands and adventures in the park just around the corner. They are heartfelt memoirs of a bizarre and beautiful world.
Where I can I find ethical and ecological ways of working that limit the damage caused to our natural world. Much of the fabric I use is naturally dyed in small batches by myself. I source dyestuff from my wanderings in the wilderness and explore a variety of found, reclaimed or recycled materials.
Since finishing my degree I have travelled to New Zealand to explore its beautiful culture and environment and I now live in rural Derbyshire surrounded by the inspiration and wisdom of Mother Nature with my husband and our two wild and wonderful Sons.
Over the past few years my focus has widen to encompass the world of my growing and developing family.
Following the birth of my first son I became a Birthing from Within, Birth Art Facilitator. I have produced and led a series of creative workshops for pregnant women to help explore and express some of the experiences, challenges and fears on their journey to motherhood.
Most recently my work has led me into creative collaboration with other creative practitioners.
In 2021 I worked closely with celebrant Lula Garner of Heart Light Wellbeing to co-create and collaboratively lead a beautiful evergreen spiral ceremony for a large celebration of life.
This collaboration has continued, leading to the collaborative creation of a bespoke free woven living willow coffin with artist Emma Parkin.
We worked very closely with a small group of volunteers who dipped in to assist throughout a two day period to co-create a unique and beautiful willow coffin using local and sustainably sourced fresh willow and sustainably sourced local Linen, which was a vital part of the creation. This was a very rewarding commission due to the sensitive and reverent nature of the project and the way in which we closely worked as a dynamic team to demonstrate, discuss, experiment and collaboratively creatively.
