I did an Art Foundation course then trained as a Graphic Designer in the early ’80s (pre-computers!) when you had to be able to illustrate your work with either magic marker or gouache. Artwork was hand-drawn with Rotring pens and images stuck on artboards using cow gum – the original cut and paste. Sadly, those skills went on the backburner with the arrival of the Mac – although it does make work much easier and quicker!

I have worked, and still do, as a Graphic Designer for over 35 years. The last 15 of those have been as a freelancer and I have been fortunate enough to have a full order book throughout that time, mostly working on magazines, catalogues and websites – with some branding thrown in for good measure.

In 2014 we relocated from the Midlands to Whithorn, a very small town in Wigtownshire, Southwest Scotland and the natural beauty of our amazing area inspired me to get the paint out of retirement.

I originally painted for pleasure then started selling small-scale on Etsy. The start of COVID in early 2019 gave me the opportunity to spend more time on my art and I worked hard on finding my style and growing my online presence and sales. Originally painting in acrylics but then progressing to painting in Procreate on my iPad which I love and I feel is a natural fit for my design background.

My art reflects the Graphic Designer in me and I’m happy to retain that. It has taken me a while to finally achieve my own style of colourful and contemporary landscapes but I am now happy with where my art is heading and I am looking forward to bringing it to a wider audience.