Elected an Associate Member of the RCA in 2023; Full Member 2026
I live and work in Pembrokeshire and studied visual arts at Aberystwyth University under David Tinker the founder of the art department. Painting and sculpture were my subjects, I continue to practice and study both.
The start of my journey in figurative sculpture is very easy to pinpoint: it is meeting John Maltby, attending his regular courses at UCW Aberystwyth and seeing his work for the first time. I was struck by the primitive power of his sculptural figures and I knew that I wanted to pursue that for myself.
With a background in fine art, influences are many, but I am particularly interested in the world of the mind and in tapping into my subconscious, extracting ideas that emerge especially when they are stimulated by ‘finds’ here in Wales and stories from the imagination of the past. A shard from a bronze age burial urn and a‘find’ such as the Caergwle bowl begins the process for me.
Defynnog Yew in the collection of MOMA Machynlleth is a symbol of magical power and protection. My piece aims to convey that story with the intertwining of the trunk and branches and a semi abstract quality, homage to the tree itself.
