Back to my roots
This is my first year living back in Sheffield. I graduated from Sheffield College of Art – fine Art painting and after two years in London returned to teach and bring up my family. I continued to paint, exhibit and sell work mainly influenced by the local landscape.
After many years of trail sailing our18’ boat to west and south coasts and the Morbian in Brittany, Ian and I had the opportunity to move permanently to Beaumaris, Anglesey North Wales By now we were able to buy Blanche a 25’ old Westerly Windrush in need of TLC.With encouragement and involvement in The Venturers Yacht Club, the Menai Straits with its complex tides became a good training area. Our confidence increased and we sailed regularly to the Isle of Man, Cardigan Bay, Northern Ireland. We managed tides, experienced interesting and often glorious weather, sailing eventually round Skye and exploring the Islands of the inner Hebrides. We visited small harbours rather than marinas and mostly anchored or picked up buoys in fairly sheltered places and for four years kept our boat on the Crinan Canal.
Linear coastal journeys seemed to suit us both. We helped two friends bring their 26’ yacht up the Brittany coast calling at most of the small islands, then crossing to the Scillies, Cornwall and back to Anglesey. Ian and I also spent a month travelling on the Canadian west coast ferry system and small planes to Fairbanks Alaska then to Victoria. Sometimes it was just the experience of travel and looking. At other times it was possible to sketch and process these responses to sea and land.
In 1999 I exhibited work done at Anglesey Sea Zoo at Penryn Castle Gwynedd. As well as selling cards locally and in Birmingham I joined the Open Studio scheme on Anglesey and did this at Easter 2008-09 & 10.
2011 was an incredibly busy year for me with a house sale & purchase and all the work that it entails.
However since Ian’s death in 2006 I have been on linear holidays in Japan, Italy, Morocco and Norway. Last June I joined Dore based Time Travellers Archeology group and am very much enjoying the company and exploration. I hope to keep you up to date with this, Open Studio dates and my travels this year.
