After a career in personnel and project management in and around Whitehall, I escaped into extremely early retirement when we moved to Oxford. As a complete contrast, I set out on a much more creative path. and initially did a course in Interior Design. I quickly realised that it was the design part that I most enjoyed, rather than running a business. So I embarked on art and craft classes of all varieties, often at the Oxford Summer School where I tried everything from stained glass to painting on silk, acrylics to experimental drawing, abstract watercolour to screen printing … finally deciding on painting with acrylics, or mixed media. Over the years I have moved slowly from figurative to semi-abstraction, and now often complete abstraction.

I find painting a relaxing escape from the troubling world. Having only relatively recently acquired a spare bedroom ‘studio’, I thought that I finally had to move on from 20 years of describing myself as a beginner, and so here I am taking part in my first Artweeks.

I enjoy spontaneous composition inspired by the colours, textures, and patterns of our natural or man-made surroundings. I often use edited or manipulated photographs as starting points for a composition, or it may simply be the colours of a fairground helter-skelter that have inspired a painting. I like to experiment with different tools and materials.

I invariably use vibrant colours for my paintings. I’m a big fan of colour analysis by season (which is used by image consultants to advise us on what colours to wear) - as those who have seen my 200+ autumn scarves will testify. I enjoy the freedom and fun that abstract painting provides as you play with design, colour, form, and texture, aiming to achieve what I hope is a balanced and harmonious whole.