My approach to art making is very exploratory & experimental, and while there is a good selection of 'how to' books on the studio shelves I learn by by doing. This approach means at times things don't work out as well as hoped for which can be disheartening but is all part of the ups & downs of the creative life........

I have the Kurt Jackson quote up in my studio and I apply it to all the different ways of working I employ - drawing & painting, printmaking, papermaking & papier-mâché, stitch, collage & mixed media. Time spent outdoors, whether gardening, walking, sketching or simply quietly sitting & observing, is also an important part of my creative process and inspires my work in the studio.


Printmaking is a key part of my creative practice. I use mainly collagraph & etching techniques to build plates to print from. Each plate is inked & wiped by hand and an etching press is used to transfer the image onto paper or occasionally fabric. Printmaking in this way is an uncertain, exciting, frustrating and messy process with no guaranteed outcome and each print is unique. Plaster of Paris is another medium I print onto creating unique decorative plaques & 3D forms with the bonus that no printing press is needed!


I often use plate making techniques in other creative work and some of my prints will form the basis of a collage & other mixed media work. Offcuts of paper & unsuccessful prints are given a new lease of life by being used for papier-mâché or are pulped and made into paper that I can use for printmaking & collage.

Having a number of different projects on the go at any one time suits my way of working but it does mean that at times my part of the studio can become pretty cluttered as can seen below!

However I did have to tidy it up one day for an interview for the village church 'Beck & Bells' project in which I had to talk my own beck project. The resulting video can be seen on the Garrowby Churches website