My artwork is predominantly figurative and reflects my interests in history and the natural world.  Much of it is inspired by historic artefacts from the early medieval to late 16th century periods, and their representation in art, from tapestries and books of hours to church paintings and Elizabethan miniatures.  Paintings from this period are marked by attention to detail as much as to human subject (indeed sometimes more so) with so much attention given to recreating in paint the intricacies of clothing, ornaments, embroidery and other precious objects that it becomes such an object in its own right.   In deference to these remarkable artists of the past as much as to viewers of my own work, I pay particular attention to detail when reinterpreting the worlds of this period in my own work.  In doing so, I imagine alternative and sometimes fantastic pasts rather than ‘literal’ renditions of the actual past.  Many of my paintings include animal or plant life, sometimes with symbolic relevance and occasionally as represented by medieval illustrators.  I'm a versatile artist, working in a range of media, including acrylic, watercolour, oil, pastel and pencil.  In each case, I seek to balance fine detail with clarity of form, line and colour.

Artistic development is extremely important to me.  I learn a lot about technique by studying old paintings, up close, in museums and galleries.  When not preparing work for exhibition, I experiment with styles and techniques for future pieces, some old, others modern.  My interest in history, including domestic history, always prompts me to view a historic painting not only for its decorative effect, but for its context.  Similarly, my own ‘historic’ paintings may suggest the order of today's world.  Indeed, I consider all of my work, however old its ‘feel’, as relevant to the 21st century.  I’m an admirer of the looser styles of much 20th and early 21st century art, and some of my ‘contemporary’ pieces adopt this looser technique.  Equally, I apply techniques I’ve developed for such pieces into my ‘historic’ paintings.  

I work from my studio in Norfolk, with ready access to historic locations across East Anglia, from priories, castles and moated estates to hidden Saxon churches, surrounded by the flora and fauna that so often sneak into my work.