I really enjoy portraits and have attempted my own many times from life, but with limited success. When your family look and say, “Who’s that?” then you know something isn’t quite right. So I finally succumbed to The Selfie. I wear my hair up most of the time but I knew that it’s a feature people know me by so I washed it especially for the occasion and left it down. I took lots and lots of photos and hated them all. The one I used for the painting was the last one, hence the wry smile as I was feeling a bit of an idiot. The good news is that my family recognised that it was me instantly, those who know me have all commented on the hair so I guess it was worth the wash!
Art is a hobby for me and a mile away from my day job but it is a significant past time. In the early days pencil was my medium of choice but I now paint mostly in pastel. It was the discovery of textured pastel papers that was a revelation, for me they turned pastels into a versatile and forgiving medium that affords bright and vibrant colours. Using both sticks and pencils, I can build up in layers to achieve a sharp and detailed finished piece.
I accept commissions, teach in workshops and demo for art societies.