I live in Kent, England - in the town of Maidstone, which is seeped in history. The town has a turbulent past and was the site of many well known rebellions including Wat Tyler's 'Peasants Revolution' of 1381, the Kentish rebellion led by Jack Cade in 1450, and the revolt against Queen Mary (Bloody Mary) in 1554, instigated by Sir Thomas Wyatt of nearby Allington Castle. The revolt failed and Wyatt lost his head. The town is also known for the trials of six 'witches' who where hanged here in 1652, along with tales of hauntings and ghost stories, all of which kindle my love of human stories, history, folktales and spooky 'going ons' in general. The surrounding countryside of ancient woodlands, meandering rivers, meadows and leafy lanes of light, provide a constant inspiration throughout the change of seasons. I work from home in a studio looking onto the garden - a very simple set up, a desk, an easel, and a cabinet of paints, brushes, pencils and sketch books along with various collected bits and pieces that I find while wandering; a jewel-like leaf, a fox skull, a twisted root, a textured stone, anything that captivates my imagination.
I've always had a passion for painting and studied at the Kent Institute of Art and Design in Rochester,England between 1990-1993. Working professionally as a painter and illustrator since 1995 I have produced work, including gallery exhibitions, book jackets, fully illustrated books, art cards and prints, as well as personal projects, landscape, megaliths and folktales, themes exploring earth & spirit, biology, dreaming, memory, ghosts and stories. My illustration projects range from children's fairytales to fantasy fiction & gothic romance including bookcovers for E.A Poe, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Orson Scott Card and Poul Anderson. Two collections of fairytales, 'Classic Celtic Fairytales' and ''Tales of the Celtic Otherworld' feature many of my paintings. Recent projects include the fully illustrated books 'Vampires', 'Walking with the Green Man' and 'Lost Lands, Forgotten Realms'. Childrens illustrations include a collection of watercolours inspired by Hans Christian Andersen and a 'Fairy Catching Kit'. Ive just finished a set of paintings for 'Phantasmagoria' a Tarot of Vampire Tarot deck of cards for Lleuwelyn, soon to be published and maybe working on a Witches tarot to follow next year. I am currently working on a large painting from an early version of the Snow White fairytale, and am starting work on a book all about werewolves!
I’m inspired by folktales, myths and old stories - from ghost stories to fairy stories – I’m interested in the psychological aspects and emotions, and exploring how symbols and stories may reflect a feeling or spirit in us that is forgotten, an emotion or inner understanding that is passed down to us through myths and legends and is part of our make up. I like to explore connections of different emotions, perhaps sadness and love, darkness and wonder, beauty and witchery. A quote, I think by the painter Khnopff, rings true for me ~ 'Like long echoes from afar that melt into a unity deep and dark'
Nature is forever a great source of creativity for me too. Bewitching
trees and autumn leaves, the moon, a shell, roots and moths: anything
that inspires. I enjoy exploring our connection with the rest of
nature -on both a physical and a deeper spirit level - revealed in
our stories, our personal journeys and our place in the world. All
sorts of mystical and religious imagery is an inspiration, as well
as a fascination with the shamanic beliefs of ancient peoples and
their connection with animals and the earth, spirits of the dead
and ancestral memories and totem magic. I try to find a balance in
my work between natural representation and symbolism, the inner and
the outer, dark and light, our fear of death and our fear of life,
our hopes and dreams.
