Growing up on the east coast of Yorkshire as a happy beachcomber I was attracted to paint-peeling wooden boats, gaudy plastic scraps and brightly coloured fishing floats. As a child I was free to wander, explore and collect. It is these boatyard memories that have become my subject and endless inspiration.

At Art College I was immediately draw to the dense flat colours of silk screen printing, for which I received a commendation. It was on a travel scholarship that I saw Matisse’s cut-outs for the first time; it was the scale of his work, the intensity, the pin holes, crease lines and torn edges that fired my imagination.

Whilst secondary school teaching I developed my collage work. I combine found papers with layers of painted paper and water-based paint to create an integrated surface.This is constructed and deconstructed many times; scratched, sanded, repainted, recut, until a patchwork of urban marks and worn surfaces bond together. As this collage work has developed it has become increasingly physical, moving from paper to wooden panels.

I am based in Cambridge UK. I have exhibited with with &Gallery, ING Discerning Eye, Bankside Gallery, The Society of Women Artists (twice winning Body of Work Prize). Contemporary Collage Magazine prize winner 2023. Jackson’s Art Prize Longlist 2024.