I grew up in
what was a little fishing village on the outskirts of Southport, Lancashire.
Our family house was third from the “Embankment” that held back the Irish Sea.
My grandfather was a fisherman and Southport was famous for its potted shrimp.
As a child I was allowed to wander along the embankment and onto the marsh
often joined by Malcolm who many years later became my husband, and
unsurprisingly he came from a family of fishermen.
I attended Girls
grammar school and became a Registered Nurse. After marrying I joined a local
company and over the years became the head of a National Metrology Laboratory.
Throughout my working career I painted seldom but always for friends and
family. Both our children are artistic, although our daughter has utilised
electronic media.
Now our children
have grown up I have been able to give up full time work and concentrate on
painting.
We have never lived
far from the sea and always take sea/lakeside holidays, from the Lake District
and Cornwall to the Canadian Great Lakes and the Gulf Coast of Florida. All of
these have been a great inspiration.
What influences
my painting? I enjoy nature and wild countryside yet like to feel as happy and
carefree as I did wandering the Marsh and climbing over old washed up boats.
Painting naive waterside scenes is particularly satisfying as I can express
myself in spirit of the story without the constraints of perspective or
realistic hues, and enter a somewhat imaginative world where all can share in
these holiday experiences and memories.