My process of working on a collage enables me to start my painting in a free and intuitive way, allowing me to express the beauty I see and feel living in the Devon countryside. Often, I overlap motifs from one painting to another, reflecting the gentle transition of time with passing seasons. There is a limitless energy in nature where organic patterns, weather and the ever changing light create fleeting moments to observe and cherish every day. My work aims to evoke this beauty and joy in a gentle, lighthearted and decorative fashion. Collage loosens up my composition in so many ways and helps me explore bold combinations of colour and position of elements i may not have considered if only painted. Colour dictates the narrative of each piece, echoing the time of year and setting the mood of the story I am about to tell. Once decided, I paint hand made papers with flowing patterns and abstract marks, using tones and hues of a limited palette to embolden the colour story. With a handful of patterned papers and a board gessoed and painted, usually in a solid colour, I am then able to focus on drawing, precision cutting and defining each delicate leaf, petal and flower head. The contrast of random marks within in a defined cut element adds a random energy and detail to my collage.

There is always a push and pull between order and disorder in my work. Once key elements are pasted onto the board, I begin to loosely paint stems and tendrils which grow in and around the subject, emphasising fresh movement and growth. I love the fragility of chalk paint as it dries unevenly and unpredictably on a darker colour and adds translucence to my composition.

Traditionally trained at Winchester School of Art in Textile design with a career in Set Decorating in the film industry, my obsession has always been on how colour and pattern works in interior design. I often paint with beautiful earthy pigment rich interior paints - their resonance with nature bringing a seasonal familiarity of the countryside to my work. I feel its a privilege to bear witness to the world around me and with nature continually evolving, so too will my collages for you.