Biography and CV

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Further Education;
1981/2 Chester College of Further Education: Art Foundation course.
1982/5 Manchester Polytechnic: Illustration BA (Hons)
2007/8 Oxford Brookes University: Post graduate certificate in advanced educational practice, (Arts and Culture) Merit.

Employment

Freelance illustrator , self employed, 1986 to date:
Specialising in finely detailed and textural work for most of the major book publishers, and a wide range of commercial advertising agencies and designers. More recently concentrating on children's book publishing.

I have spent 20 years specialising in finely detailed and textural work for most of the major publishers, advertising agencies and designers. Media include watercolour, pen and ink, scraperboard, collage, hand prepared surfaces and hand made paper.

Freelance artist and performer for theatre and education
*    Mask, props, puppet making and performance ~ Horse and Bamboo          theatre and others.
*    Guided imagery ~ Making and performing costumes, masks, set          building and puppets for themed environments designed for          children and young adults with special needs.
*    Youth workshops ~ as workshop leader and also working with          musicians, performaers and a director on performance arts courses.
*    Costume design and prop making for theatre and film animation         companies.
*    Set miniatures for theatre productions and other creative industries.         (Pingu animation.)
*    Characters and props for advertising and marketing agencies.
*    School based KS1-4 and early years workshops and performance         activities.
*    Creative Partnerships Practitioner, East Lancashire and Salford         (2004-2009)

Handheld Theatre,
In May 2007 I established Handheld theatre with musician Fredrik Holm, a new childrens and puppet theatre company, producing performances and workshops for theatres, schools and community venues. Collaborating with arts venues and schols, and performing in our touring yurt. Handheld builds on the experiences gathered through our previous collaborations with other people's theatre, allowing us the freedom of developing our own ideas about inspiring and enabling creativity in others. Handheld has so far performed with The Dukes Theatre Lancaster, the Horse and Bamboo theatre venue, Mid Pennine Arts and Skipton Puppet Festival.

Volunteering and training:
*     Model-making for animation, Aug 2004, Bristol school of animation.
*     Various short training courses in mask, film making and model         making techniques.
*     Various performance art projects, fine art, sculpture and related arts         activities.
*     Community arts, making for and participating within events

Inspirations:
My work is rooted in my childhood experiences growing up in rural Herefordshire. This left an enduring interest in the natural world and storytelling, which has inspired my illustration work.

Much of my creative life has been responding the varied needs of the competitive and commercial worlds of publishing and advertising, with a varied client list of established companies. I also enjoy working within the performing arts. Working with Horse and Bamboo theatre and others over the last few years has allowed me to extend my creative work into mask work, 3D modelling and prop making.

Running workshops and performing in projects such as Guided Imagery, or as a creative practitioner in schools has allowed me to learn from the energy of young people and the knowledge of established performers. The work is important to me not only for the enjoyment it provokes, but also the transformations it creates in both audiences and participants.

Developing my creative practice
Sept 2007 I began an MA in Creative Learning, accredited by Oxford Brooks University and supported by Creative Partnerships East Lancashire. This is a three year part time MA. I have so far completed the first 2 modules and received a post graduate certificate in advanced educational practice, (Arts and Culture) at Merit grade.