I dream of gardens.

Welcome, garden and art enthusiasts!

If you're here, you've likely noticed how the natural world infuses my artwork. Today, let's explore a perennial source of inspiration: cultivated green spaces.

I've discovered compelling similarities between nurturing plants and my creative process. Both flourish when balancing structure with untamed growth.

There's magic in letting go, allowing plants to spread freely and ideas to evolve naturally. It's about trusting the process, finding joy in imperfection and being open to surprises. This philosophy has shaped my relationship with gardens throughout my life. From my childhood fascination with "The Secret Garden" to the well-manicured spaces I once tended, and now to my current, slightly wild plot, each has left its mark on me and my work.

Let me take you on a brief tour of the gardens that have shaped my journey:

“The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett planted the seed of my lifelong obsession with cultivated grounds. My dreams, though often fleeting, frequently bloom with visions of lush botanical landscapes. As a native Brit, I've been privileged to wander through some truly magnificent gardens. My heart belongs to those that masterfully blend structure – think walled gardens and hedged 'rooms' within rooms – with the wild spirit of plants that move, roam, and tangle. In these magical spaces, I find myself transformed into Burnett’s protagonist Mary Lennox, forever captivated by the allure of secret, thriving worlds.

A Surrey walk, 2020. Flashe on panel.

I grew up in a modest, semi-detached house in Surrey. While the house was always comfortable, my parents (mostly Mum) created a jewel of a garden in the 70ft long, narrow space out back. Old photos reveal its slow evolution: flat scrubby lawns transformed with an arborvitae here, a trellis growing honeysuckle there, stepping stones through new beds. Mum, too British to accept a compliment, might grudgingly admit pride now if pushed.