NEWS

LANDSCAPE ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2022

During the pandemic, like many others I spent many hours in isolation and this gave me time to return to my artist roots. I explored collage combined with paint and pen wash, mixed media, plus embellishment with crystals.

I have been showing my work on art gallery websites and now combine this with my couture business. Early last summer I was contacted to appear on the TV program “Landscape Artist of the Year” and was both flattered and delighted to take on this challenge. 

The filming took place last summer and I was one of 8 contestants in Heat 4 at The Eden Project in Cornwall. We were given four hours to produce an artwork in our pod/studio en plein air, and had to work around social distancing. It was so much fun to be part of and the judges and film crew were amazing. Stephen Mangam hosted along with Joan Bakewell and judges Tai-Shan Schierenberg (artist), Kate Bryan (art historian) and Kathleen Soriano (art curator).

I hope you enjoyed the programme.

The Earth in Turmoil

The sky is whirling with pollution; the hills on the left are not red clay but joints of roast beef signifying the destruction of eco-systems and habitats caused by cattle farming. Live stock are responsible for a large proportion of global greenhouse emissions particularly methane.

Elsewhere across the collage are images of fruit and vegetables embedded in the earth. Chemical pesticides and fertilisers used to produce fruit and vegetables pollute and contaminate soil, water and the air we breathe.

The climate challenges we face in the next decade should not be underestimated. The world’s population will continue to be confronted with environmental changes, increased ground level ozone, water shortages, soil degradation and deforestation. Environmental changes will bring the spread of pests and viruses affecting global health, food security and our well being.

The Earth in Turmoil has been created using collage, a form of recycling. The magazine pages I tear and cut are from the 1960’s and 1970’s, no new resources were used to create the messages in my artwork. I have dismantled these images and repositioned them to change their meaning and show what our consumerist society has done with little regard for the consequences to future generations.

It is the artists’ role to continually question and influence how people perceive our world. We are all responsible for accelerating the extinction of many plants and animal life. We are failing to see things as they really are and it is imperative we all understand the universe and our role in it before it is too late.

Landscape collages

a new collection for 2021

My latest collages use cut and tear to paint ‘Landscapes from the Imagination’. This technique creates a hybrid art form that builds images by remixing, overlaying and re-contextualising fragments of daily life that appear in print media. Nothing is what it seems. 

I use 1960s women’s magazines as my source material as these are from the era that saw colour first introduced in periodicals and magazines. The paper is uncoated, and the print quality poor by today’s standards, making it easy to tear and create soft deckled edges. It also takes in ink and paint so the images can be worked over and highlighted with drawn marks. The matt finish gives the finished work a softer quality than if I used current glossy magazines.

Some of the printed material used has relevance to the image I am working on - others don’t. Fast food ads become landscape; fashion shoots suggest ploughed fields or flora; and scouring pads become gravel paths while an egg yolk can light up a sky, the list is endless.

The collages come together with teasing little details; my mind can’t help but wander, and I go where it takes me while painting with paper. Some of the pieces are deliberate, but in most cases I am trusting the creative process to help build a final image that talks to the viewer. 

My collages are a form of recycling: trees become paper that becomes magazines whose printed images include nature and consumer products such as food, fashion and home wares. I cut, tear and reassemble these images to create landscapes depicting the trees that started the whole process. 

An artist's journey

I live and work in London. My work explores darker themes that touch and taint everyday lives. Linking back to an idealised 1950s, I explore attitudes to women, sexuality and domestic abuse. The resulting large prints are embellished with crystals and mixed media and aim to provoke reflection but not unease as too often people turn away from ideas that make them uncomfortable.

The process to achieve the final pieces is a long journey from the original idea and involves searching through 1950s' magazine to find the source material to build a collage of words and images. The collages are then hand painted with wash and paint pens to add colour and detail imitating the original feel of printed magazines.

The finished collages are scanned, enlarged and transfered onto fine art paper. The final but most labour-intensive step within the process is adding the thousands of crystals, gold and silver leaf, lacquer and metallic paint. The resulting art pieces are colourful, textural and vibrant.

The strength of the message is important but with these images, I believe I've created art that is pleasurable to look at but that holds a deeper meaning if the viewer takes the time to reflect on what they are seeing.

I was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2018. I studied at Newport College of Art (South Wales) 1979 to 1982 and gained a BA (Honours) degree in Graphic Design specialising in Printmaking. I then moved on to Wimbledon School of Art (London) 1982 to 1984 and gained a Post-graduate Diploma in Printmaking.

In my early career, I specialised in printmaking and exhibitions: Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 1982, 1983, 1985; Royal West of England Academy 1982, 1983; Printmakers Society, Mall Galleries 1983; New York Art Expo 1987, 1988, 1989; California Art Expo 1987, 1988, 1989; Atlantis Paper Awards Exhibition 1984 (won 'Best Print in Show').

In the intervening years, I switched to couture with designs that were heavily influenced by my roots as an artist: every garment involved crinkling, texturing, dyeing and heat-treating fabrics along with accompanying appliqué and beadwork. I've enjoyed a following of celebrity and society clients that has included Anneka Rice and Royal Wedding guests.

My couture shows include: "A Couture Story", "Zefi" -London SW3 one woman show 2013; "Dressing for the Season", Kensington and Chelsea Women's Club at the Hurlingham Club, London 2016 one women show; "The National Wedding Show", Olympia Catwalk 2011-2018 (twice yearly). I've now returned to my roots with prints that combine beauty and darkness.