I am an artist and art educator, living in North London. I work primarily in two dimensional media – drawing, painting, collage and printmaking. My artwork is eclectic, ranging from the purely abstract to detailed representation.
My most well-known painting is ‘Gran Turismo‘ which is a group portrait of my mother-in-law and her two eldest grandsons. It was first exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery’s BP Portrait Awards 2005 and then had the honour of being displayed alongside many famous artists’ works at the National Gallery’s ‘Work Rest and Play’ Touring Exhibition. It was subsequently purchased by Bristol Museums and Art Galleries and it can be viewed on permanent display at M Shed, Bristol.
Since a student, I have always been experimenting with abstract patterns based on circles and squares in tangent with my representational paintings and drawings of people, nature and landscapes.
Although diverse in subject matter and style, for me there are many connections that run between all of my artworks and creative ideas. Ultimately, I aim to capture a sense of beauty and harmony; in the words of the artist Anni Albers:
“…to do something that intrigues people enough that they come and look at it again and again and feel this lift that art can give you”
When I’m not working on my own art, I am busy encouraging and teaching youngsters to explore their own creativity. You can see their work at seeourartwork.uk
Awards and Exhibitions
2008 – current: Permanent collection of Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, currently at MShed, Bristol. (https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/gran-turismo-188439)
Jan 2007 – April 2007: ‘Work Rest and Play’ Touring Exhibition – National Gallery, London; Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle; Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.
June – Aug 2006: Exhibitor at the Welsh Artist of the Year Exhibition, St. David’s Hall, Cardiff.
June 2005 – March 2006: BP Portrait Award – National Portrait Gallery, London (Voted Public’s Favourite); Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens; Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh.
28th February 2006: Silent Portrait Auction, National Portrait Gallery, London.
2003: Highly Commended-Open Teaching, Young@Art Awards, The London Institute.
2002: Winner – Open Teaching Award, Young@Art Awards, The London Institute.
May – June 2000: Travel Award from UWIC to teach Art & Design at St. Julian’s School, Portugal.
1996 – 1999: Four solo and two group art exhibitions in Cardiff and South Wales.
1994: Finalist in the RSA Design Awards.
1991: Awarded Art Student of the Year, Welsh National Eisteddfod for my Art & Design Foundation work.
1990: 1st prize in Schools Section at Welsh National Eisteddfod for my A-Level Art.
Publications
‘500 Portraits, BP Portrait Award’ published by the NPG in 2011 (ISBN: 978 1 85514 448 4)
Education and Qualifications
Sept 1999 – June 2000: University of Wales Institute, Cyncoed, Cardiff. PGCE Art & Design
Sept 1991 – June 1994: Harrow School of Design and Media, University of Westminster. BA Illustration (1st Class Hons.)
Sept 1990 – July 1991: South Glamorgan Institute of H.E., Howard Gardens, Cardiff. Foundation Course in Art & Design (Distinction)
Career
2004 – current: Self employed artist and art educator (seeourartwork.uk)
Sept 2000 – Oct 2003: Art and Design Teacher, including GCSE and A Level. The Green School, Isleworth, Middlesex.
1994-1999: Self employed artist, youth leader and community artist; based in Cardiff.