"Maria" Painting

I am an established collage artist based in Cambridge. My signature work consists of vibrant, bold colours with strong architectural shapes and patterns. I take my inspiration from boatyards, harbours, weathered surfaces, decorative motifs and lettering of foreign lands. I was born in Yorkshire. I attended Art College in Bradford then headed south - always with my sketchbook - to far sunnier countries, eventually settling in New Zealand before returning to the UK. My work is very much influenced by my travels, particularly around the Mediterranean, Morocco and India. Back in my studio, using my sketches and my collection of papers and photographs; I start to build a composition combining layers of painted tissue found papers and acrylic to create an integrated collage surface. Some paper remain visible while others are transformed. This leaves the viewer with glimpses of colour, texture and surface of a previous time. I simplify and flatten space, recompose, conceal and reveal, deliberately avoiding representational clarity. It is a controlled yet intuitive development that allows me a huge amount of freedom to interpret my sketches in a bold and original way. My current work is moving more towards semi abstract but still with recognisable views. I have participated in many group shows and solo exhibitions. My work has been published as book covers, advertising, magazine editorial work and greetings cards.