ABOUT ME

I first studied glass fusing on a course at The Liquid Glass Centre near Bath. Afterwards I studied Art and Design at Cumbria University, focusing on textiles and mixed media work, and began incorporating glass into my work. After I qualified, I returned to glass as my medium of choice. The creative possibilities, colours and diversity really appealled to me, and still do.

I created a home studio in Cockermouth and began to successfully sell my work through local galleries. I have exhibited with C-ART Open Studios events for a number of years.

I live and work in Cockermouth, a town which lies on the edge of the Lake District, a World Heritage Site, way up in the North of England, near to the Scottish border. Cockermouth is one of a number of 'gem' towns in England and is rich with Georgian architecture, has an ancient castle and is full of wonderful independent shops. It's also not far from the Solway Coast; an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which looks over to Scotland.

I'm happiest in the hills with wild weather and mountains all around. I'll often take pieces out into the landscape to photograph them in a natural setting. It feels like completing a circle. I want this website to celebrate the diversity of Cumbria as well as showcasing my work.

INSPIRATION

The vivid colours of lichen and moss growing on stone. Seaweed and pebbles. Tide ripples on the beach. Ancient hawthorn trees. Old barn doors, patched and weathered.

I'm particularly drawn to old stone walls and the patterns they make in the landscape and the farming history that created them.

And of course, water, I'm surrounded by it! Carved by ice and water, the Lake District comes alive with waterfalls and powerful rivers after heavy rain, but there is also stunning beauty in the gentle mountain tarns, becks and the lakes on a fine evening.