"Work is love made visible”
~Kahlil Gibran~ The Prophet

I love these words.  I read the Prophet whenever I am feeling low or just not living up to the person and artist I am meant to be.  I think this simple line perhaps makes up for the loneliness a lot of us feel.   Words so often fail to describe the depths of my feelings.  I learned that whatever I do, whether painting or washing floors, the love with which I do it, makes all the difference and it permeates every part of my life; a simple gesture, a grand result.

Yes there is a dramatic nature to artists.  Our desire for the discovery and nurture of true love and to see the world as it is in our hearts, to feel everything even to the point of being destroyed by it.  To me, life is about living with my heart on my sleeve.  I just can’t harden myself to the suffering of others or ignore my delight in their happiness.  I am grateful for the way I am made.

I am sure this sounds heavy; it is not meant to.  The truth is I don’t take myself very seriously at all.  However I have finally come to a place in my life where I have the courage and the confidence to take my art seriously.  I am devoted to what I do and to the source of its inspiration.

“Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart, give yourself to it…”
~Buddha~

However it is received, if at all, this is my contribution to the whole.  I see the world as beautiful.  I have been given the opportunity to show others what I see and most importantly, how I see them.  It is all I have to offer, and I give it with all my heart.  Is there any other way?  Not everyone has the opportunity to live freely and work at what they most love to do.  I am lucky and out of respect for my good fortune and for the struggles of others, I have found the courage to live and work as an artist.

I know a biography should offer more details of my birth and schooling, but none of those things seem terribly important.  What I do feel is important, is that I come from a long line of artists and craftsmen, far more talented than myself.  My great grandfather carved the reredos in Winchelsea Church and was among the artisans who carved the organ surround in St. Paul’s Cathedral.  My mother’s aunt, Wendy (Rosemary Howard) was a portrait artist whose work hung in the Tate Gallery in London… The list goes on.  My own father is a landscape photographer; my mother’s forte is fibre arts.   My sister is a sign language interpreter and special needs worker.  I have role models to live up to within my own family, a fact which is both exciting and daunting.   I am self-schooled, not self-taught.  These people have encouraged me and have had a tremendous impact on my work and my commitment to my own craft.  Beyond that, the only other important information about me is why I paint.  I paint out of love.  It is that simple.