Oriental Empress Artwork

I was born in New Zealand. I moved to Europe in 1986, lived in France for a year and a half. For the last 20 years I havebeen living in London. During this time I worked as a graphic designer for major feminine brands such as Clarins, Bourjois and Christian Dior. I now divide my time between London and Krakow. Krakow is a people-sized city. And the architecture is so full of soul-lifting aesthetic pleasures.

For the moment I have left behind the corporatism that bedevils most contemporary design. I am concentrating on my own interpretation of beauty and aesthetic pleasure. To date I have had two exhibitions in Krakow. Future projects for Krakow include an Art Deco exhibition and a move to oil painting in the form of portraits of some of Krakows women.


I have often wondered what the common point was linking my pictures together. I love riffing off different styles and periods, just as Galliano or Westwood would do in their fashion design. Recently I tried to separate out my 'Art Deco' pictures from the others. (Or at least add to the ones that are deliberately Art Deco styled). So I began adding to the Art Deco pile. And adding. And adding. And then it struck me. ureswere almost ALL Art Deco . Or at least they all carry an Art Deco sensibility. The 'magpie-like' use of ornamentation. The linear structuring of forms and My pictshapes. The aspiration to glamour. The fantasy world ceated to take you out of hum-drum reality. All of these are Art Deco essentials.

Art Deco fascinates me. The first thrity years of the 20th century was an extraordinary time for art and design. Especially in the form of Art Deco. The period was a juncture point. A crossroads where the old world met the new world. Where the ancient met the modern. Where Greco-Roman dominance sucumbed to Bauhous simplicity. Where historical ornament met streamling. Where feminine ornament met the powerful masculine technology of ocean liners, locomotives and automibiles.

On paper, Art Deco, could appear to be a melting pot where 'anything went. It could have become a chaotic jumble of styles where designers threw in stuff to the mix to see what would come up tasting nice. Yet somehow Art Deco managed to retain a structure, a set of rules and an integrity. It developed it's own signature look and feel. One that has stood the test of time.