I started my artistic career by painting furniture. In the 1980s I was living in Edinburgh where one could find interesting pieces of vintage furniture already stripped of all wood stains, just ready to be decorated. It was then a very fashionable idea which kept me busy.
I still have some individual pieces which are waiting to be sold, such as the Vestry wardrobe and Canteen table, which can be seen on my website. They are really unusual, functional pieces that add to the beauty of any room. At the time I thought that the brush and paints were the natural medium to express nature. The smooth hand gesture repeats naturally the smoothness of the stems and petals on a flat surface. They were hugely enjoyable to do.
Moving to Oxford at the end of the 80s, I felt the need to express myself in more challenging and creative ways. The art of marquetry seems to have chosen me. The process of cutting slim veneers into sizes and shapes, and getting them into place with accurate adjustments to space, is very thrilling. The ‘Rose’, the ‘Lilly’ and the ‘Tulip’ are made with coloured veneer inlays on wood panels. They are pictures to be displayed on the wall. Their function is purely aesthetic. I am pleased with the results. It is part of Nature’s generosity to allow us to copy and reinvent its beauty in so many different media and materials with renewed freshness.
My graphic design background enhances harmony and symmetry in the designs I create.
I welcome commissions.
