As a visual artist I enjoy responding to the world around me. From the vastness of a landscape to the textures of a weathered outcrop I am inspired by the way light affects and changes, often in a relatively short space of time, what I can see.
My initial training was in ceramics and I specialised in sculptural pieces for many years - however I am sometimes frustrated by the slow process of working with this medium. Excited by the immediacy of paint on paper I am now exploring acrylic paint and inks to respond to my love of colour, texture and line.
Inspired particularly by the west coast of Ireland and other ‘wild’ places, I work initially from the quick water colour sketches I make as I interpret the landscape around me. Once in the studio these are used, along with photographs, to explore more fully my emotional response. Collage and textiles are often a starting point and using a variety of ways of applying gesso and paint I build up texture and colour to create the memories of place in the images I create. With my more abstract work, incorporating text into the final piece can introduce a further layer of meaning.
However my early love of working with clay has not left me! The more sculptural pieces are being replaced by experimenting with a more painterly approach as I use clay as an alternative medium to responding to the world around me.