BIO

I was born in the East End of London and grew up in the Peak District, which is a beautiful, rugged rural area near Manchester. Growing up in the countryside gave me my love of walking and an eye for admiring the landscapes.

I also travelled a lot growing up and after university, to places such as France, Spain, Portugal, Cuba, Kenya, USA, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia. In all these places, I was fascinated by the art and architecture, the colours and the countryside, and they all inspired my developing artistic vision whenI went onto do a BA Hons degree in Fine Art at Liverpool John Moores University.

When I returned from my post university travels I decided to do a PGCE teacher training course at Manchester Metropolitan and then began teaching 11-18 year olds at North Chadderton High school which I did for 10 years.

Then while out in a pub in Manchester on New Years Eve 2018/19 I met a Kiwi! After doing the long distance thing and then Covid hitting we decided to do the big move and I left my teaching job and family in the UK to join my partner in Christchurch. It has been an incredible journey and we are now engaged to be married next year.

I have taken this opportunity while having a break from teaching to get back into doing my own art and I have been really inspired by the amazing and dramatic landscapes right here on my doorstep in New Zealand.