Artist's Profile

After studying Graphic Design at Blackpool College of Art and Design, I applied for a junior artist position at a local greeting cards company.

After learning the skills of emboss, die-cut and foil drawings (no computers in those days!) I was allowed to progress on to colour work, and was soon painting pictures for a living - brilliant!

Two years passed and I decided to become a freelance artist. A great and busy career followed, my biggest client being Hallmark Cards. After a few years, I accepted a role as senior artist at their in-house studio and spent 10 happy years there.

In 2013 I decided to make a lifestyle change - less time travelling and more time with family - so it was back to freelance again, concentrating on greeting cards and book illustration. I have a lovely studio at home now - my first book commission was the Bible for toddlers which was a challenge but a fantastic job to work on. I have recently finished working on 4 books for an Australian publisher about the adventures of a little girl and her best friend Pickle…a grizzly bear, and am currently illustrating 5 Winnie the Pooh books, which is a lovely job.

On a personal note, I love to travel. Before my daughter came along I travelled far and wide - Borneo and Guyana were favourites (I do love jungles!). Nowadays we have a little cabin in the Lake District, tucked away in the woods where we go to escape and spot deer and badgers.

I love to visit old Halls and Castles, and am particularly interested in their gardens and flowers, as botanical illustration has always been a passion of mine.

I’ve managed to make a small collection over the years and try to paint my own whenever I can, but they take so long, I’m sorry to say they seem to have taken a back seat in recent years - lively 7 year olds and doing up an old house seem to take up a lot of time!