Background
My life to date has mainly revolved around administrative work interspersed with periods of study and travel. Studying involved obtaining a BA in Art History and English and a Diploma in Management Studies (Human Resources Management). Travel included a six month overland trip to India visiting countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) before the many crises which radically changed some of these countries. For the last 25 years of my working life I was an HR Manager for a charity and government Non Departmental Public Body, Community Development Foundation. Following retirement I fulfilled a long held desire to study fine art, gaining a BA Honours (first class) in Fine Art from Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design, LMU, London in 2018. My degree show My 3 Mothers focussed on my family history using archival images, objects and photography and involved an exploration of the influence my three mothers had on my life. For this project I was awarded joint runner up of The Owen Rowley Prize 2018.
My work at The Cass involved many aspects of art practice including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and last but not least photography. Memories, social and political societal changes, archives and family history are my main interests with a preference for displaying image and text as a means of portraying my ideas.
One of my current projects is exploring my family’s relationship to the Lancashire cotton industry.