I am a figurative painter and the focus of my work is portraiture and the human form. I usually work in oils on MDF. I studied fine art initially at the Brighton College of Art in the 1960s and again much later as a mature student at Havering College in Essex. After Brighton I was involved in a variety of activities and occupations before deciding to settle down as an art teacher to people with learning disabilities. I continued in this field until the late 1990s when I retired and returned to painting full time. My particular technique and signature style of painting has developed gradually over some years and incorporates an interest in surface texture with traditional painting methods. The finished works present the viewer with an illusion of surface movement - undulating and corrugated. I am a member of the British Association of Modern Mosaics (BAMM) and the Society of Women Artists and exhibit annually at the Mall Galleries in London. Other exhibitions venues have included the Islington Art Circle in London; the Picturecraft Gallery in Holt, Norfolk; the Beecroft Gallery in Essex; the Corn Exchange in Kings Lynn, Norfolk; the Queens Theatre in Hornchurch; and the Wildlife Trust in Essex. I was shortlisted in 2009 by the Royal Academy for the Summer Exhibition for my portrait the war veteran Simon Weston and won the Barbara Tate Award for best oil painting at the Mall Galleries in 2008.