Following a period of caring for my elderly parents and academic editorial work, I find myself returning to what excites me artistically.  Over the past twenty-five years my practice has evolved through sculpture, portraiture, therapeutic arts, painting en plein air and writing. Although the media have changed, a consistent thread has remained: an exploration of identity, belonging, transformation and the way images can help us re-imagine ourselves and our place in the world.

A Developing Thread

My recent work is concerned with beauty, symbolism and aesthetic experience, and I have become increasingly interested in the transformative potential of images, and how my new work can engage in conversation with historical works of art, in particular the Pre-Raphaelites. Through painting, writing and research I have become interested in how inherited cultural narratives continue to shape contemporary understandings of identity, gender, belonging and selfhood, and how small revisionings of works can change their meaning.

Recent exploratory studies have focused on historical painting techniques, symbolism, figurative storytelling and the relationship between beauty and meaning. These investigations have opened new questions within my practice and revealed possibilities for a significant period of artistic development.

Why Now?

Following the completion of major research, publication and professional leadership roles, I have reached a point where my artistic practice is becoming the primary focus of my professional life.

I am increasingly drawn towards ambitious, research-informed painting that bring together the different strands of my career as artist, researcher, writer and therapist.

A period of professional development will provide the time, mentoring and specialist support needed to deepen my technical skills, expand my critical understanding, in order to develop a sustainable and visible contemporary painting practice.

The proposed programme of development would enable me to work with specialist mentors, undertake focused research, experiment with new approaches to painting, and strengthen my confidence in creating ambitious exhibition-scale work.

Importantly, it would support a transition from an established career centred on clinical practice, research and writing towards a more fully integrated professional identity as a contemporary artist.

This development would not only benefit my own practice, but also contribute to wider conversations around Pre-Raphaelite works, specifically focused on beauty, identity, belonging and the transformative role of art within contemporary culture.