About
A self-taught painter working for many years in pastels and acrylics, in 2023 I undertook a Masters in Illustration at Falmouth University. I am also a fully qualified Psychotherapist with my own private practice, and it is the combination of creative practice and wellbeing that particularly interests me. Working from my studio in Exeter, I focus on collage both as a medium for my art and as a therapeutic process for healing.
Using collage and mixed media, I allow the materials to lead the process. I am particularly drawn to the qualities of found paper of all sorts, from something discarded like an old shopping list, to paper that is considered more valuable, I see treasure in all of it. In using old books, music, envelopes, postcards and photos, I am allowing the materials to create a new narrative that is, then, recreated in the eyes and mind of the viewer. What means something to me may mean something quite different to you. That is the joy of using these materials.
For my Final Major Project in my MA, I researched collage and transformation through creative practice. I am intrigued by the idea that all our experiences, from the big life events to those so small that we barely notice them, change us. That is how we are unique. Like the forest floor that has deep, built up layers, the accretion of our experiences alters the next experience and how it changes us. I wanted to explore how my process of becoming is shaped not only by self-reflection but also through entanglement with the outer world—through materials, context, and the relational dynamics of creative practice. This project is ongoing.
What is emerging from this project is a body of work, some of which you can see in the ‘Collage’ section, and a deeper connection with the whole creative process that starts with the ‘gathering’ of materials. I spend my spare time tracking down old papers, books, photo albums, magazines and curious things, usually in junk shops and thrift stores. I never know what I am going to make until I see a piece of paper that speaks to me or sparks an idea. Even then I try not to pre plan what I am going to make, rather I let the whole thing flow and sometimes I get a great image and sometimes I have to put it all away and let the creative dust settle before trying again. Either way, I have learned to trust the process!