I want to create art that is in dialogue with the contemporary world.

Art has the power

to reveal new perspectives on the complexity of human experience and to
communicate those insights in such a way that the viewer, even for just a moment,
sees the world in a new way. I want to use my art to explore ideas; to learn from the
world and to engage with it by asking questions. My ambition is that my art will
challenge and reveal.
My love of the arts has been a side-line to my career as a solicitor in private practice
and my family life since I finished my English literature degree. I saw the law as a
way to contribute to social justice. I have enjoyed the intellectual challenge of the
work and acting for clients with diverse problems and experiences. However I came
to feel frustrated that my creativity was stifled. Of course my experiences have
shaped me and I am sure that the skills I have learnt, including self-motivation,
teamwork, research and creative thinking, are invaluable as an artist.
Lifelong learning is something I strongly believe in, and my tastes and interests have
broadened over the years, to a large part through the influence of my children. Apart
from art, my great love is classical music, especially in live performance. I
particularly enjoy the challenge of contemporary music. From musicians I have
gained insights into an artists need to communicate ideas and passions. What
strikes me is that driven by that need, an artist is continually learning and
experimenting. The artists I find inspiring not only address issues in profound ways
but also constantly experiment with the processes and forms of expression they use.
In mid-life I feel I need to return to the practice of art and my experience studying for
the Foundation Diploma has strengthened my commitment. What I have found
particularly rewarding is having the time and space to think and to develop practical
and conceptual skills. My ability to explore my ideas in my art is gradually developing,
increasing my ambitions.
I have always made time to visit galleries, recently focusing on contemporary art as I
feel I need to learn its language. I found Moderna Museet in Stockholm, combined
with re-reading The Shock of the New to be helpful in building the historical context.
Art makes a lasting impression I remember an exhibition at the Curve Gallery which I
visited regularly. It was a film of a landscape over a day which lasted for 40 minutes.
Very little happened other than atmospheric movements, but for me the piece
engendered ideas of time, space and balance. I think about it often and use it, in
memory, to restore peace and breadth of vision.
As I want to use fabric and stitch in my art, exploring the concepts and baggage that
are attached to them, I am specialising in textiles. The course is fashion orientated
but I also have independent projects. Currently I am working on an Artists Book
using images and poetry; the elements complimenting each other. My ideas for my
final project are gestating. I would like to explore ideas around the movement of
people (voluntary and forced) and of commodities and resources. The work is
inspired by the plight of refugees and I want to reach beyond the headlines and
sound bites.
I have big ambitions and I recognise that I need to study to be in a position to realise
them. I am interested in both the practice of art and the theories and philosophies
that underpin the practice. I want to learn to express myself in my art and how to
explore art, theories and philosophies. My ideas and ambitions are not properly
formed and I relish the opportunity to continue my studies further at the highest level.