Amaryllis Print

Recently shown at The Royal Institute of Watercolour Artists at the Mall Galleries, London and short listed for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 2014. As a female artist I have always rather envied those militant female artists who can take a picture of their privates and scrawl RAGE across the frame in red. However I have to admit to myself that I am not political, I seldom read a newspaper or look at the news in the media. This could of course be a reaction to a life as a costume designer in TV, films and theatre, which is a life full of politics, budgets and egos. I was made to realise why I now paint when a friend said he loved the serenity and beauty of the pictures. I realised that this is why I paint. I go to “another place” when I paint, a place of colour, beauty and the natural world. A lot of my paintings are of flowers I have collected while out walking with my totally spoilt and much loved Irish Terrier, Tara. My previous career was about colour, form, design and so is my painting. I come from a background of architects, painters and art dealers, so it is no surprise that is what draws me to my practise. I am influenced by Georgia O’Keefe of course, Robert Mapplethorpe and Edward Weston and the paintings of Rosie Saunders in the contemporary world. And although they are often called 'botanical paintings', in actual fact correct botanical paintings contain the seeds, leaves and evolution of the plant. My work is about my response to the plant and the technical difficulties in depicting it, I love the challenge. Asides: I have appeared twice as a competitor in Andrew Logan’s Alternative Miss World Competition, the first appearance was in 1972 and the last in 2010. And have appeared on television and film a number of times: • Interview for the Arts Programme After Life, for Independent Television. Interviewed by Andrew Logan. The interview was conducted on horseback and the topic was Costume Design and Horseback Riding. • Wire TV Make Over of the Presenter Mike Morris. Producer Richard Stewart. • Maverick Television interview on Colour, its holistic and healing qualities on the human body and aura. • Featured in the recent feature film Andrew Logan – The British Guide to Showing Off Released November 2011 worldwide. • Television Commentating - Live for Horse and Country Television, Commentator for Blue Water National Dressage Championships of Great Britain 2007.