Profile of the Artist

BIO

After several years working as a Human Resource professional while painting on the side, I am now a full time artist working out of my studios in Port Harcourt, Nigeria and in Bedford, UK where I often spend part of the year.

Born in Manchester, England where I lived as a child, I have lived and worked in Africa for a greater part of my adult life with short periods living in Grenoble and Clermont Ferrand, France. In France, I admired works of great artists and attended short evening art classes at Ateliers Diagonales, Clermont Ferrand. 

I work mainly in oils, acrylics and charcoal. Digital portraiture is also a fascinating new field that I discovered and leaned into during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns.

I was once a student of languages, but (as has been observed by those who have gone before), I always find myself saying that “if I could say it in words, there would be no need to paint.” In trying to state my purpose, the mischievous glint in the eye of my subject, that hesitant smile, the shape of that fleeting reflection, all make me reach for my paintbrush and no longer my pen. I am inspired by the muted and also vividly contrasting colours of my British and African heritages and cultures but move beyond realism to tell social narratives that go beyond our shores.

I do appreciate your patronage.

 

EDUCATION & ART TRAINING

• Short evening classes at Atelier Diagonales, Clermont Ferrand, France. May/June 2005
• July 2018. Summer Life Drawing & Painting. London Fine Art Studios, Lavender Hill, London UK
• MSc in Global Human Resources. University of Liverpool 2012
• MA and BA (French)