Professional Profile
I work throughout The UK, and Internationally as a commissioned site-specific artist, painter and illustrator. I completed and delivered projects of scale and ambition for clients such as Kings College Hospital NHS Trust and The National Trust. I have broad experience and ability as a participatory arts project leader and mentor. I have good communication skills, and have worked with a wide range of client groups, age ranges and cultural backgrounds in both public and private sectors. I often work in contexts where a caring, as well as a creative aptitude is required. My life and work led me to live for periods in France and in Vienna, where I learned to apply my skills in new contexts and also learned to teach English as a foreign language. I aim to consolidate, develop and share my professional experience, as well as to inspire and enable others in their own creative endeavours. Music, social-dance and cultural history are recurring themes in my activity, painting and drawing. I am also a soul-jazz dance music DJ at various club venues in Vienna and London. This website is a
Focus And Attitude As An Image-Maker
We live in an age where the definition of an artist, and the discussion of what he/she should make is in permanent dispute. No one can agree what exactly is 'relevant', 'authentic' and 'valid' 'Art'. To avoid this pointless battleground I describe myself in a functional, humble way as an 'Image Maker'. I'm not 'God' and its not my place to assert that what I make is 'Good Art', though I live and work with that hope and that goal. Time will tell. Describe my activity as 'illustrating' the life lived (if you want), - with an awareness and love of the drawing-and-painting Heritage of which I am a part. In making images about people, places, activities with which I'm in some way a participant is the only (unplanned) path. I simply follow my nose and intuition, abandoning as futile a more cerebral, preconceived or conceptual route. I find myself a rebellious 'Maximalist' in Times when there is constant pressure to 'pigeon-hole' and 'departmentalise'. 'Minimalism' and 'Conceptualism' are still considered 'cool', and sometimes they are, but sometimes it's just lazy. The needle has stuck in that groove now for 20 years without much development or diversity. How could I be a Minimalist when the interconnectivity of Everything is so self-evident?
We are Unstoppable. Site-specific
The Art Of Attachment. Commissioned alongside Poet Lemn Sissay and choreographer Charlotte Vincent to work with clients at Brighton Oasis Project to collaborate on artworks exploring the theme of attachment. 2017-2018
North Vienna Cityscape Site Specific painting for a new community outreach centre Commissioned by Zeit!Raum. 2015
Designed and painted a series of 4 site-specific murals on 4 stairwell landings at an Educational Resource Centre at Drobollach in the Austrian Alps, referencing the lakeside/Alpine landscape Commissioned by Zeit!Raum, Vienna. 2013
'Drawing the figure in dance and movement. Led a series of 3 day-long masterclass-workshops with graphics and communication BA degree students at Birmingham University (BIAD). 2012 -2013
Hip Hop Surgery. Live art, theatre, music and poetry collaboration with Jonzi D and Bill Harpe at the Black E arts and community Centre, Liverpool.2010
Commissioned Artist In Residence. Created Site-specific artworks with participation from Staff, clients and patients at the following organisations, - Kings College Hospital, London, The Sussex Beacon, Brighton, Positive East, and Frimley Park NHS Trust.1997-2009
Visual Artist In Residence at 'Kunst am Grund' multi-disciplinary arts studios, collaborating with musicians, visual artists and 'Das Kunst' Theatre Company on community outreach exhibitions, events and performances. 2008-2011
Arts-in-Health Research Residency exploring the affect of creative activity and the visual environment on patient wellbeing taking into account staff and patient preferences and concerns. Commissioned by Frimley Park NHS Trust in partnership with Healing Arts. 2004-2006
Artist-In-Residence at Clapham Pool, delivering regular arts workshops for children throughout the school holiday periods. Use of Studio space and facilities for Exhibition/commission work. Commissioned by Lambeth Borough Council.1991 - 1997
Arts Workshop Leader- Creative Response, Farnham. Mentored and empowered disadvantaged adults on individual projects (including adults with Learning difficulties, adults with psychiatric illness, adults with problems related to alcohol and drug misuse). 1997-2006
‘Croydon Tartan’- Collaborative mural referencing love, marriage and the Cultural History of Croydon’s Afro-Carribean Community. Commissioned by Croydon Council. 2004
‘London Links’-Collaborative murals, working with disabled children from Sutton Mencap. Ecological Theme. Commissioned by The National Trust, Morden Hall Park and London Arts.2002
Murals In London Schools and Colleges. Collaborative mural designing and painting, including preparatory workshops with children age 7 to 18 years at Coulsdon College, Danson Juniors, and Keston Juniors schools. 1993-98
Public Collections
The Museum Of London -'The Vox Club' and 'Levi The Jazz Dancer' on permanent display in the 'London - Global City' exhibition
Croydon Clock Tower Museum, Croydon Borough Council
Frimley Park hospital NHS Trust (site specific paintings and prints)
London East Aids Network
Kings College Hospital NHS Trust (site-specific murals)
The National Trust [Morden Hall Park]
The Sussex Beacon, Brighton (site-specific paintings)
Zeit!Raum, Vienna and Drobollach
Bronx Museum of Art, New York ('Smoking And Dancing' Lithograph)
Qualifications
MA RCA Fine Art- Printmaking. Royal college of Art. (‘Distinction’ grade for Cultural History Thesis 'Art and Social Life’) 1989
BA (hons) Art and Design, University of Leeds, Bretton Hall College Of Higher Education. 1985
Educated at Forest Hill Boys school and Godalming 6th Form College. 1976 - 1980
Exhibitions
Parallel Worlds Cityscapes, family, and dance-culture paintings in Vienna and London. Kunst!Raum Gallery, Vienna, Austria. 2016
Unstill Lives at The Jazzcotech International Jazzdance Weekender . Exhibition and ‘pop-up print stall at Maison Rouge, Perpignan, France. 2013-2015
A Window on The Process of Care Selection of site-specific paintings and drawings commissioned by Frimley Park NHS Trust. Watts Gallery, Compton, nr Guildford. 2014
'Unstill Lives and Clubscapes' - 'Live drawings', paintings and Prints The Museum of Club Culture, Hull. 2012
'Unstill Lives In Vienna'- Vienna. Selection of new 'clubscape' drawings single-figure paintings. Galerie Stock, Vienna. 2007
‘Designer Aujord Hui’ - [exhibition of Drawing] at Les Halles-Place Du Marche-au Bleu La Fleche, France. Curated by Le Conseil d’administration. 2006
‘The Bigger Picture'- Collaborative Collage/mural at Croydon Clocktower Museum - with 'surround Sound’- referencing, life experience and reminiscence of Croydon's Black-British older generation. 2006
‘The Haven’- Phoenix Galleries. Drawings, paintings and assemblages arising from The Sussex Beacon Residency, Brighton. Including collaborations with patients and staff. 2002
‘Unstill Lives’- An ongoing series of 'club-dance' and single-figure paintings. solo exhibitions at the following venues;- The Rose and Crown Salon, Covent Gdn, The Metro cinema- London W1, The Ritzy Cinema- Brixton, The Royal Festival Hall, c, The Pelerocco Hotel- Brighton, The Reliance Bar and The North Bar- Leeds, The Contact Theatre, Manchester, and Leeds Playhouse. Print exhibitions at Southport Dance Music Weekender, and at Hayling Island Soul-Jazz weekender. 1999-2015
Various group and individual shows e.g. Malvern Open Drawing Competition, Candid Gallery, Blenheim Gallery, Museum of London, London Arts Cafe. 1991-1998