biography

I trained at Central School of Art and Design, London and University of East Anglia, Norwich. A background in art and art history, as well as many years of travel, inform my work.

I started my artistic career in specialist decorative paint finishes, which were undergoing a huge revival in the UK, but were then new to Northern Ireland. Very soon a commission to decorate the Tea Rooms at Mount Stewart for the National Trust (the first new artistic work the Trust in Northern Ireland had ever commissioned) propelled me into mural painting.

A decorative artist must be versatile, and since that wonderful first opportunity to find inspiration in the historic surroundings of Mount Stewart house, my love of new challenges has meant that my work has developed in many different strands. I've painted many murals, both private and public commissions, in styles ranging from Ancient Greek to modern abstract, heritage murals for interpretive centres in Ireland and Scotland, and I work with architects to design decorative schemes in old and new buildings.

I design and paint wildlife and environmental murals, backdrops and sign illustrations for,

amongst others, the Northern Ireland Environment Service and Office of Public Works in Dublin. I illustrate brochures, posters and signboards for graphic designers; paint canvases for wall art and home décor item ranges for Wild Apple, a major US art print company ( see Naomi's pages on Wild Apple) ; and paint contemporary canvases and Old Master copies both private and corporate clients. In the last few years, as well as prestigious commissions for decorative finishes, I have carried out several major art restoration projects in Ireland, in churches, private homes and public buildings. Just as painting a mural can make a room come alive, it is thrilling to see beautiful wall paintings or canvases emerge again from dust, grime and obscurity.

I am the current compiler of the famous Dodo Pad ( www.dodopad.com) , an idiosyncratic illustrated engagement diary, full of original drawings and cartoons, curiosities and wit (and terrible puns).

The variety of work I've done means that I can bring a fresh eye to each new commission.