The Indivisible Collection
The title of this collection, Indivisible, is a reference to me and my two sisters, Sandra and Julie. Following the death of both parents, we were separated at an early age, living in a number of different foster homes. Somehow we were always inextricably connected, separate but one.
Hear No Evil
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Oil on Board, 92 x 122 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750
Inspired by the 17th-century Japanese proverb originating in a carving of the “Three Wise Monkeys”. In this interpretation, it symbolises a code of silence among sisters, as well as an abdication of responsibility on the part of those who looked the other way.
Inseparable
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Oil on Board, 92 x 122 cms
Our memories of the past can only be played through the narrow portals of our own masks.
Gas Mark 3
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Oil on Board, 122 x 122 cms
A weighty, over-sized gas mark emphasising isolation – even with her back to the wall there are signs of hope, as yet unseen.
Mother’s Day
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Oil on Board, 122 x 92 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750.00
A father and daughter together at Mother’s funeral; a fantasy of an intimate, shared experience, one that was never permitted.
Immune System
Oil and Mixed Media on Board, 122 x 122 cms
A universal experience – not fitting in, not part of the ‘in-crowd’.
Resonance
Oil on Board, 122 x 122 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750.00
Behind the masks the boys have a common language, a shared understanding.
Indivisible
Oil on Canvas, 120 x 100 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750.00
A snapshot in time – a family unit soon to be divided. Even though we were separated we were inherently connected.
Almost Heaven
Oil on Canvas, 122 x 92 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750.00
I grew up without my mother and I really missed her presence. I imagined her and what it would be like to still have her with me. Yet, I always felt her protection. As a mother myself, my children have been my greatest gift. So much of who we are is handed down from one generation to another…
Gas Mark 2
Oil on Board, 122 x 122 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,250.00
Memories of childhood. I see myself as a storyteller through paint. This image depicts two children in gas masks with a third (hidden) child to the right. A ghostly gas mask hangs on the wall at the back of the room.People have often brought their own stories to this piece, although it is very personal to me
It’s All About Survival
Oil on Board, 122 x 122 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,250.00
From a world war II photo. A conversation between my sister and I about whether we were ‘there for each other’ as children. The reality was that it was a case of ‘everyone for themselves’.It really was about survival.
Gas Mark 1
Juxtaposition of bright colours belying a darker narrative. This was my first ever gas mask painting when I began the Diploma at Norfolk Painting School. I wanted to use some bright colours having looked at the work of Henri Matisse. What came out of my head was a more sinister image than I had expected. My sister could really relate to it, and my gas mask journey began…
Bath Night
Oil on Canvas, 122 x 92 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,250.00
Reflections on a challenging childhood. Memories of fear, humiliation, anxiety, lack of trust. Cold. Sometimes danger lurks in the most unlikely of places.
You Never Know What’s Around The Corner
Oil on Canvas, 122 x 92 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,000.00
Playful young siblings growing up are so often full of expectation and anticipation. Filled with hope and promise. As life unfolds, none of us ever knows what is to come. This painting captures the innocent joy we shared before the death of our parents, and ultimately our separation.
Mum’s The Word
Secrets we hold. What we are not telling. All stuck in an alley way.
The sign of the finger in front of the mouth has so many connotations. It can be asking for quiet, the idea of ‘don’t tell’, ‘this is just between us’ or ‘let’s surprise them!’
Sister Esther
Oil on Board, 122 x 122 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,250.00
‘Sister Esther’ is 84 years old now, but she remembers vividly having to wear her gas mask during the war. She hadn’t put one on since, but kindly and very obligingly agreed to do so for me.
She sat for some time in the studio and was a great sport!
Act 3
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Oil on Canvas, 92 x 122 cms
Thoughts of Russian dolls.
Separate realities, adults on a stage with a child inside.The little boy in the corner is me, I had boy’s haircut.
Transition 1
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Oil Sketch on Board, 76 x 51 cms
Lost in an alien landscape. Being led away…
Transition 2
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Oil Sketch on Board, 76 x 51 cms
…moving between foster homes, lost and bewildered. Memories of childhood.
They’ll Be Home Soon
Oil on Board, 76 x 51 cms
When you’re not trusted to be inside the house alone.
Being Human Collection
In this collection of work entitled ‘Being Human’, I explore our humanness, with the aim of revealing universal truths that we can all relate to. I have always been fascinated by people and, as an oil painter, I try to bring stories to life – stories belonging to other people, as well as those of my own.
There’s No Place Like Home
Oil on Canvas, 122 x 153 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £5,500.00
A reflection of the woman I was for so long, and the woman I am today. So many paths leading to now – I wonder where this one will lead? Red is a poignant colour for me, often used to symbolise the past. Although I had no idea at the time of painting the shoes, it turns out my Mother used to have a pair just like them. My Sister was quite taken aback when she saw the painting. She is 7 years older than me and so has many more memories of our parents than I do.
Chasing Pavements
Oil on Canvas, 100 x 120 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,000.00
A social statement on modern day distractions. Sometimes it’s hard to see what is under our noses! Inspired the lyrics from the song of the same name by Adele
Come To The Edge
Oil on Canvas, 92 x 122 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750.00
No matter what came next, whatever was said, whatever was done, inherently I knew who I really am is whole, complete and free. Free to take off the mask, free reveal my true self, warts and all.
Patience
Oil on Canvas, 120 x 100 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750.00
I love telling stories through paint. I have been asked many questions about this piece. Is she making a decision? Is she ‘fed up’? What is she thinking? What has happened? What is happening now? What is she going to do next?
We bring our own questions and interpretations to a piece.
Maureen
Oil on Board, 122 x 92 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,000.00
A lady sitting on a wall caught my attention, her name was Maureen. I noticed her ankle socks and her very large hands – she was wearing her husband’s gloves. There was a peacefulness about her, calm and comfortable in her own skin.
Firewall
Oil on Canvas, 122 x 92 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,000.00
Asking him to think about his past whilst posing and looking at me, caught in his own thinking.
Son
Oil on Canvas, 100 x 120 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,000.00
This is my son, Sam.
As a mother, my children have been my greatest gift.
Standing Room Only
Oil on Board, 92 x 122 cms
A striking looking man on the tube in London. Lost in his own thoughts. What was he thinking?All those people travelling on the tube, living in their own separate realities.
Contemplation (After Salgado)
Oil on Canvas, 92 x 122 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,000.00
Inspired by the work of Salgado, I wanted to explore this still of work, while bringing my own take to it.
Big Boys Don’t Cry
Oil on Board, 71 x 56 cms
Original available to purchase – £900.00
My daughter, Amy. We had so much fun getting ready for her big day.
Childlike
Oil on Board, 90 x 60 cms
Original available to purchase – £900.00
A 60-year-old woman, seated on a wicker chair and taken from a childlike position. Holding a wooden Russian doll of a mother holding her child.
Performer 1 After Paula Rego
Oil on Board, 122 x 92 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,000.00
An homage to Paula Rego, and one of a series of two paintings.
Family Man
Oil on Canvas, 122 x 92 cms
My Stepson and friend, Mervyn. Tree surgeon, family man, Christian.
Performer 2 After Paula Rego
Oil on Board, 122 x 122 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,000.00
An homage to Paula Rego, and the second in a series of two paintings.
Thinking Outside The Box
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Oil on Board, 122 x 92 cms
“One’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions”– Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
New thoughts, new ideas, learning and growth. No longer conforming or fitting in. Outgrowing the selflimiting boxes and habitual frameworks in which we place ourselves.
Send In The Clowns
Oil on Board, 122 x 122 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,250.00
A familiar sense of isolation, of being alone. Set aside from others, a small presence on a big throne and the crown doesn’t fit. Thoughts of a crown befitting a fool….
Sacrificial Lamb
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Oil on Board, 92 x 122 cms
An elegy on life and death at a liminal time.
Elegy definition: Contemplation (in modern literature) a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.
Metamorphosis
Oil on Board, 122 x 122 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,250.00
“The Butterfly Does not Look Back at the Caterpillar in Shame…” Anthony Gucciardi Life events can rip into the very core of our being, physically, emotionally and psychologically. Our life path is what makes us who we are.
Imposter
Oil on Board, 122 x 122 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,250.00
What has happened? What is happening? What will happen next?
Observed
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Oil on canvas, (framed) 84 x 65 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) £1,250.00
The Buck Stops Here Collection
‘The Buck Stops Here’ is a process. A journey of realisation and reaching a pivotal point when ‘Enough is Enough’.
It is about change and the battles when standing strong.
Moving into acceptance and a new ‘normal’.
Enough is Enough
Oil on Canvas, 153 x 122 cms
Original available to purchase (unframed) – £4,550.00
There are times in our lives when we are tested, sometimes to what feels like the limit. It is during these times that often we discover the strengths we have.
Grace
Oil on Canvas, 153 x 122 cms
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God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. Reinhold Niebuhr
Reconciliation
Oil on Canvas, 122 x 153 cms
Original available to purchase (unframed) – £4,550.00
The sitter realises that there has been a problem and acknowledges that it has existed. She understands and empathises the aggrieved. Both sit comfortable in their own skin.
Primal
Oil on Canvas, 122 x 153 cms
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Primal is who she was born to be. According to Maslow we all have basic human needs. At the primal level we have a need for air, water, food, shelter, safety, sleep and clothing (in some cases). We also have the need for connection / love, significance, for certainty and for uncertainty (variety) , for growth and to make a contribution. Primal is the embodiment of all of these needs.
Eleuthera
Oil on Canvas, 122 x 153 cms
Original available to purchase (unframed) – £4,550.00
The most common reason to prevent women from stepping into their own power is for them to think that they do not have any. Just because we think something it does not mean that it is true.
The Secrets and Lies Collection
Do we keep secrets, or do they keep us?
I am fascinated how people justify keeping a secret. Can it really ‘keep the peace’? I question whether a ‘secret’ kept makes another person happy, safe, surprised etc or whether it just excludes. Keeping a secret can have the appearance of integrity and trustworthiness but there is also an element of ‘exclusivity’. Do secrets build walls? When do they cross over into a lie? I chose to use Pinocchio for this set of paintings because he is the epitome of someone who might tell a lie.
As a young girl, I was ordered to not tell ‘the whole truth’ about the circumstances in which I grew up, The whole truth equated to the word ‘Traitor’.
That leads me to the question: is a ‘Traitor’ a liar?
Holding On By a Thread
Oil on Canvas, 122 x 92 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £4,500.00
Limited-edition, signed prints £350
“We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring. Will be to arrive where we started. And know the place for the first time…”
TS Eliot
An internal dialogue between a woman and a puppet. She sits unclothed, laid bare and vulnerable, hiding nothing, seeking connection.
Faith, hope, love, isolation, connection to self and others, longing and belonging.
Blind Faith
Oil on Canvas, 122 x 92 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750.00
Limited-edition, signed prints £350
“We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are”
Anais Nin
Holding on to a perceived reality.
To Thine Own Self Be True
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Oil on Canvas, 122 x 92 cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £4,500.00
Limited-edition, signed prints availabe £350
An allegorical painting about relationships, adult life, love, childhood and a connection to self.
Intermission
Oil on Board, 153 x 122 cms
Limited-edition, signed prints available £350
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An intermission provides the chance to pause and reflect. To see a new way forward or to choose to continue on the same path. In any situation we have a choice.
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. ‘Viktor Frankl’
If the Cap Fits
Oil on canvas, 122 cm x 92 cm
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750.00
Limited-edition, signed prints £350
Missing
Oil on canvas, 122 cm x 92 cm
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750.00
Limited-edition, signed prints £350
Rubicon
Rubicon . \ROO-bih-kahn\ Noun : a bounding or limiting line; especially one that when crossed commits a person irrevocably.
Oil on canvas, 122 cm x 92 cm
Original available to purchase – £3,750.00
Limited Edition print – £350.00
The Trapeze Artist and the Duck
Oil paint and mixed media on canvas, 122 cm x 122 cm
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Censor
Oil on canvas, 122 cm x 92 cm
Original available to purchase – £3,750.00
Waiting in The Wings
Oil on canvas, 122 cm x 92 cm
Original available to purchase – £4,500.00
The Saboteurs Collection
The negative voices in our minds have been described as literal characteristics in Shirzad Charmain’s ‘Positive Intelligence’. These ‘Saboteurs’ each have their own identity which I have visualised in this series. I have focused on the saboteurs which resonate most closely with me.
The Pleaser
Oil on Canvas. 122 x 92cms
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750.00
Indirectly tries to gain acceptance and affection by helping, pleasing, rescuing, or flattering others. Loses sight of own needs and becomes resentful as a result.
The Avoider
122 x 92 cms, oil on canvas
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750.00
The woman stares obliquely into a void making absolutely no connection – not even to herself!
The Victim
122 x 92 cms, oil on canvas
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A young, seated woman leans forward onto her large red boxing-gloved hands. She makes no eye contact with the viewer, and she has a resigned look of defeat on her face. Her neck muscles are pronounced suggesting tension. She wears a covering on her hair and around her bust. The painterly marks on her body would suggest the possibility of bruises. There is no indication of a boxing ring.
The Judge
122 x 92 cms, oil on canvas
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750.00
She is a Master Saboteur. She finds fault with herself, with others and with circumstances. Behind her tough exterior lies someone with great curiosity and an open mind. Do you think we all have a ‘Judge’ lurking in the wings?
The Hyper-Vigilant
122 x 92 cms, oil on canvas
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750.00
Anxious, self-doubting, sensitive, suspicious etc. Often comes from early experiences where the source of safety and security was unpredictable and unreliable.
Do you think the thoughts of our ancestors from thousands of years ago still exist in our minds today?
The Controller
122 x 92 cms, oil on canvas
Original available to purchase (framed) – £3,750.00
Description: Anxiety-based need to take charge and control of situations and people’s actions to one’s own will. High anxiety and impatience when that is not possible.
Dance Like No One is Watching
Courage
Flower For The Birds
Oil on Canvas, 122 x 92 cms
Original available to purchase – £4,250
Description to follow…
Succession
Oil on Canvas, 122 x 92 cms
Original available to purchase – £4,250
Description to follow…
Red Shoes
Oil on canvas, 122 cm x 92 cm
Original available to purchase – £4,250.00
(Limited Edition Signed Prints Available)
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