I have been painting all my life and have exhibited in annual exhibitions since I was aged 16 and had a couple of solo exhibitions. Also my work was chosen for the Laing national competition, open to artists in the early stages of their careers. Work was selected by representatives from the Laing Art Gallery. I Graduated from University of Ulster Belfast with a Bachelor of Design and began teaching at the Northern Regional College. Since my mother died in 2011 I have been the carer for my elderly father with Alzheimer's and the strain of this has underlined my need to make more time to paint.
One of the recent highlights has been a series of farm animals painted in watercolour which was exhibited at The Braid Arts Centre Theatre Club Gallery. It all started with four hens, a fantastic birthday gift from my children. Delighted to watch the interaction of my first hens together I was hooked and the animal menagerie was about to grow. A surprise potbelly pig arrived and then another, when it became very clear we needed a small field which would then need to be penned off with escape proof fencing. The pens are now filled with my inspiration to paint; four hens became twenty, six ducks, two sheep and ten pigs. Surrounded with our delightful animals I endeavour to capture their expressions and character, their textures of fur, hair and feathers also the animal's posture and my pets just love to pose.
I try when I can to draw and paint outside even if it's just a little thumbnail sketch, and then work the painting up in doors. With my animals series I always work from photographs, to get that portrait feel I need a good reference. As my work is illustrative in style I decide on the composition usually taking the animal out of its background, before I get painting and take the drawing to an accurate stage. I like to work in watercolour mainly, the unpredictability of the watercolour makes for and exciting process, I lay down washes of water or pale base colour and then drop in the watercolour allowing it to flow and mix.
My favourite places to see animals to paint are the Agricultural Shows and Ballymena Showgrounds is perfect because the cows are all tied to the perimeter pole on the show ring and I can get plenty of great photographs. Living in the rural setting of Ballymena has enabled me to know some very obliging farmers, who let me appear on their farm or in their fields to take photographs. What could be more exciting than a spring morning spent on Hayes farm in the lambing shed, especially when you are left on your own and a new lamb appears before your eyes, thank goodness for mobile phones!
Information about exhibitions, galleries and open studio dates can be found on Facebook or by contacting me directly by phone or email. I work from a small studio at home