My interests are eclectic. My art practise involves study of ideas, concepts and themes and haptic exploration using paint, clay, collage, textiles and threads. Through these mediums I capture a time, a moment, images and feelings of a place and of my place in the world. Social comment, elements of space, horizons and distance variously appear as elements in what I make. Ideas developed in the course of art making then become subject of further study and investigation.
I am currently exploring mental wellbeing and community building through my art. Research has established that the focused engagement of an art making activity can lead to enhanced health and wellbeing.
The exploration of the themes is both ethnographical and observational of others – those who become immersed in their activity and reflect and comment about the benefit of the activity. I am aware of the benefits of art making activities both alone and in groups on my own wellbeing. The tactile experience of clay; the tearing, cutting and laying of papers, the feel of fabric in my hand and meditative stitching takes me to my ‘happy place’. I focus in the present and am absorbed by the activity I am engaged in.
I enjoy sharing my skills and run workshops using various mediums (often in conjunction with exhibitions). I believe everyone has a creative ember waiting to spark. It is a delight when participants give themselves permission to allow their imagination to run free and discover that they too can make art.
