I am really looking forward to showing a few of my icons and teaching an icon painting class in the opened up gardens of local Horsforth people. thanks guys :)  

Saturday 1 July and Sunday 2 July 

at: VN 13 (on the walk of art map) -address,  Newlay Lodge, 3 Newlay Ln. 

Between 11am and 5 pm. 

my Bio:

I have been a contemporary interdisciplinary artist for thirty years, working across textiles, ceramics, poetry, folk-fiddle playing and painting. When painting, I create religious icon paintings of Celtic women saints through a feminist lens, inspired by Byzantine-era Russian icons.  

 

I experience the world as someone with imagination and arts-based thinking processes. I am obsessed with stories and use them to explore iconography with the rich and complex visual markers inherent in the traditions and rituals of the culture I inhabit. One of Celtic forebearers, Yorkshire Gothic, brought up in a household of Bohemian artists and musicians contextualised by the beauty, spirituality and generosity of Franciscanism. Creativity enables me to express, among other things, deep joys, fears and hidden imaginings.  

 

I have exhibited at galleries and had commissions. My artwork has been published and exhibited locally and in London, Korea, the US and Netherlands. I trained at art schools in Leeds, Staffordshire, Sunderland and Cardiff and with iconographer Rev Christopher Perrins. My work explores the intersection of contemporary craft with traditional icon painting.  

 

I am course leader of MA Creative Practice at a local arts university and have recently gained a doctorate in art education. I have given papers at international academic conferences in Prague, Belgium and London and been published in art books, magazines and academic journals.  

 

In many ways, icon writing can be seen as a form of meditation and contemplation, as the process of creating an icon requires one to slow down, focus, and be present in the moment. By taking the time to engage in the process, I hope to share my skills and knowledge with others through the Horsforth Art Walk workshops. 

Walk of Art links

Twitter @thewalkofart

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HorsforthWalkOfArt

Instagram: www.instagram.com/horsforthwalkof_art/

Website: www.horsforth-woa.org 

I am delighted to share that I am exhibiting at the inaugural “Art-teenth” show and live celebration of creative freedom on the Juneteenth holiday in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. As well as, the simultaneously running “Exquisite Codes” exhibition in Berlin, Germany. With big thanks to @thisisamyjackson for curating, @shimartnetwork for the opportunity and @hohenthal_und_bergen.

In this piece I consider motherhood, childbirth and the role of social justice in the lives of women, mothers and girls in our global community. Women’s lives are bent and shaped by our body’s ability to bear children; this can be commoditised, bought and sold, arranged into marriages, used as part of human trafficking and as part the modern slave trade. And yet the ability to grow and nurture another human being is precious beyond words. The bond between a mother and a child – whether born or adopted is a gift. This sculpture helps us visualise and love gift of motherhood, despite the context.