ABOUT ME
'What are you doing?' 'Just taking a photo' I reply. 'But why are you taking a photo of the pavement, Mummy?' 'Because it's interesting, don't you think so?' My son just looks at me. I just love texture and I can't stop looking for it everywhere. I am interested in exploring the way in which using textures can make an image more tactile and create a sense of atmosphere, memory and resonance.
I work predominantly with pencil, Indian ink and watercolour combined with digital collage. Some of my illustrations also incorporate other elements such as acrylic, charcoal, pastels, children's crayons, felt tips and coloured pencils. I often use my photos for inspiration and sometimes within my work, many of these I take in the Swiss mountains outside Zürich or in the small villages around Einsiedeln.
This fresh, collage style is suited to a range of editorial and publishing projects, particularly within Children's Publishing. Current clients include Family Matters Parent Magazine, MDLM Books, and Kent Wildlife Trust. I also run the Storycraft Studio in Rüschlikon and through this I have become involved in collaborative and community projects in Storycraft, as well as at art festivals and in schools.
As a person I need constant visual stimulation, so I enjoy travelling. I often feel I am trying to suck up images to create a huge visual library I can refer to in my work! I find myself particularly inspired by the beautiful countryside in Switzerland, the fractal patterns I find in nature, as well as the grittier contrasts of the city. I find materials particularly interesting as they rust, fade and decay. I hoard scraps of vintage paper and fabrics. I love the visual effects of the weather and seasons on the mountains outside my window and how they can seem to change a place entirely. I also continue to take inspiration from the immediate and vibrant nature of children's art.
When I'm not drawing, I love camping with my family and exploring new places. Coming from the North of England I also enjoy drinking a lot of tea ... preferably made in a pretty teapot!
