I was born and brought up in a heart of Hampshire in a small village called Curdridge, which was a mixture of farms, fields and smart country houses. My sister and I were lucky enough to spend our childhood in what was once a traditional farm with paddocks and an orchard as our playground. Although by the time our parents bought it the land and house had been separated.

Our parents were wonderful, humorous, open minded, imaginative people who gave us confidence to follow what we loved in the way of interests and careers.

I wanted to try most things when it came to earning a living and I’ve gone a long way to achieving that goal. At 17 I went to college and trained to be a nanny which lead me to opportunities both in Italy and back here in England. I’ve worked as a painter & decorator, sign-writer and in a furniture showroom but none of these sustained my interest.

After another brief sortie across Europe I ventured into the world of the Probation Service, both in Hampshire and Somerset where I stayed for 8 years in a variety of jobs.

I moved away from probation and into the field of homelessness in 1997 and today I work for a charity based in Southampton called the Society of St James where I manage various supported housing projects.

I am the proud mum of Liam who was born in 1995 and, like all parents bore everyone else stupid talking about him.

My love affair with art started as a child when I would mutilate the Guardian Newspaper with my doodles. From there I like to think I progressed, copying black and white photos with comparative ease and success.

I was mediocre in art at school because my artwork was always spontaneous and rarely followed the teacher's requirements. I loved life drawings; people’s postures and facial expressions always captivate me.

In the 80’s I drew my very first Pinman, which resulted in me printing my first Pinmen greeting cards. It is only comparatively recently that I have returned to painting and drawing, having got caught up in my career, marriage and bringing up a child.

It was my sister Alison who persuaded me to start drawing my Pinmen again and from there I haven’t stopped. The ideas keep coming and people seem to love them I still paint my water colours, which mainly consist of my travels abroad and people.

I hope you enjoy looking through my gallery.