BIO

Born in the Midlands in 1979 I live and work in Glasgow, UK. I received my Fine Art BA from Goldsmiths College, London in 2001. I have exhibited nationally and internationally and my work is held in private collections.

In addition to painting I was once a singer in The Fairies Band and co-founded indie-label Pushing Pussy Records with fellow band members. I collaborated with friend Twinkle Troughton to create street based performance artworks, I have curated several exhibitions and co-founded A-side B-side Gallery and Studios in Hackney.

CV

STATEMENT

My paintings are informed by my life as a mother, a woman and an artist, I aim to celebrate the everyday, and the freedom and empowerment in creativity and imagination.

Autobiographical narrative is present in my image making and there is a strong focus on the domestic environment. The ethos of punk, the amateur or the outsider and the idea of DIY spirit runs through the work. Painting surfaces are often created from repurposed materials I find on the street, at home or in the studio, for example wooden panels and objects such as drawers and cereal boxes.

In a period of division, the rise of the far-right and the global threat of climate change, I wonder how we can respond as individuals, how I can respond as an artist. World news can be difficult to process and painting is an illusory space to explore my thoughts and feelings, in my paintings I respond to my immediate environment and to the issues of our time.

A recent focus has been my experience of motherhood, from a feminist perspective I am interested in highlighting the emotional complexities of being a mother, the hidden burden and the lack of value placed on care-giving and women’s time. I’m also interested in creating a dialogue with women artists who were excluded from the Western art historical canon. References to artists from the past are interwoven with the motifs and images from my own family home environment, providing a vehicle for my exploration of paint, colour and materials.