Whilst my profession was in music, I have had a lifelong interest in arts and crafts.

My parents, both professional artists, encouraged us to be creative.  As children we didn’t have many toys, but we painted, we made toys and decorations out of bottles, tins and boxes, we made things from papier-mâché, painted beach stones, learnt to sew, knit, crochet, weave, and much more.

My grandfather was often with us and, whilst being a builder and decorator, he would spend his spare time making rugs, doing marquetry and making ornaments from objects found on the seashore.

However, when I reached my last two years of schooling and I was trying to decide what to do next, my father said to me. ‘Don’t do art, you’ll never make a living like that! …. and indeed he had struggled himself. So, I turned to music, which was my profession for the next 40 years. I continued to sew, making a number of concert dresses over the years, but I had little time for anything else.

It wasn’t until I was in my late 50’s that I reintroduced art into my life. I joined Arran Visual Arts and started to take part in various workshops, later running a craft group for people with social needs.

Then after moving to Switzerland in 2016, I joined an art class there, so that I could enjoy art and learn French the ‘natural’ way.

I have never looked back. My interest in art and painting was rekindled.  I have now been painting since 2017 and I started to lead an art class for migrants in 2018. Then in 2023 I found an association where I could share a studio and paint alongside others.

My father continued to paint until he was 98 and gave me much encouragement in his final years along with an endless list of criticism! To me it is still a learning curve and I am still experimenting with new ideas, subjects and media. I love doing portraits (though a challenge) and landscapes and, although I often start with a photograph, it is a joy to be able to be inventive and bring the subject to life, taking out what I don’t like and adding things in.

Art for me has been a journey in learning to ‘observe’ and, like music, it requires practice, patience and immense concentration. Colour and depth adding the subtleties to my interpretations.

I will be exhibiting not just my own paintings, which will be for sale, but I will also be displaying some of my parents work that has inspired me over the years.