Wildlife and folklore have always inspired me to create. Folklore tells the stories of the landscape and those who live within it. It is a way to connect with a place beyond the immediate. 

Folklore can explain the inexplicable and bring a sense of magic to the ordinary like a gaggle of grey geese you see by a river; once you know that they are the subject of a folk tale that tells of the loyalty, adaptability, resilience, and kindness in this region, you will never look at them the same way again. The icons of East Anglian folk tales, such as eels, swans, lapwings, and geese, feature strongly in my work as well as the monsters, will-o’-the-wisps, boggarts, and witches from darker tales. 

I enjoy nothing more than reading a rare collection of folklore with a sketchbook by my side. I quickly draw the images that come to mind while reading, then work them up into more formal designs that I can develop into finished works of art.  I use printmaking, mixed media, and digital techniques alongside careful observation and imaginative drawing. 

My research and artistic practice have led me down many paths over the years, including collaborations with other artists and storytellers, giving talks at events, leading workshops, and selling my work at galleries and popups around the region. I'm particularly proud of my work concerning European Eels. I love to talk to people about the fascinating story and lifecycle of this sadly critically endangered species.   

I live in Ely on the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens, an area of subtle beauty I believe should be celebrated more. I have a home studio with a small press and use ingenious ways to store printmaking equipment within my bijoux family home. I am lucky to have a large garden (a rarity in this pocket city) and a pond; my encounters with frogs and pond life are a daily pleasure. I have lived in various parts of the country, but the Cambridgeshire countryside feels like home. "