My journey

My art teacher would say, “If I wanted to replicate what I see I would take a photograph.” This was my introduction to abstract art and it resonated with me because I was always drawn to art that told a story that was not always obvious to the eye. For me it is more exciting to capture the mood and emotion. 

I live in the beautiful county of Surrey in the UK and to have the brilliance of its landscape at my doorstep is truly inspirational. I started painting around twenty years ago with renowned Australian artist, Astrid Dahl who taught me to paint from my gut, unabashedly.

Over the years my style has changed, as has the media I work with, but abstraction has always been a common theme. I create from memories, emotions and sensory experiences. I want to draw my audience into a visceral connection with my work.    

I was fortunate to have spent my childhood in a valley in the midst of the Himalayas and I find that my work is often, knowingly or unknowingly, influenced by nostalgia.

I am enthralled by the spontaneity of ‘mark-making’ using many tools along with pencils, charcoal, pastels, pigments - the list is endless. The process of making this type of art works really well with the themes that I choose where layer upon layer is laid down on wooden panels and then scratched back to reveal its history. I love the depth that this technique provides to my artwork and helps me communicate my inner voice.

Painting in my studio at home over the last few years I was bubbling with ideas about how I would love to be part of the local community and make art more accessible to all. This initial seed of an idea has now come to fruition and I am now the co-founder of BlueHouse artspace along with three other local artists. Bluehouse is contemporary space where artists and the creatively curious can share, inspire and create art that speaks from the heart.