I am a visual artist...

living and working in rural Kent. My current creative practice focuses on photography and collage. In past ‘incarnations’ I have worked as an art library administrator, an arts development officer and a freelance exhibition planner / curator. I am interested in all aspects of visual culture – particularly fine and applied arts - and continue to plan small scale shows with artist friends and colleagues. I enjoy nature: flora and fauna, the countryside and seashore. I am drawn to ‘thin places’ where time appears to stand still or ‘flex’ allowing past and present to merge. I am a compulsive collector – “a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles”. Many of these objects feed into my work both directly and indirectly.

I find...

inspiration in the arts in their many and varied forms; from fine art to folk art and from classic novels to fairy tales. Song lyrics and lines from poems are often a starting point for my work.

I make...

paper collages and temporary three-dimensional ‘curations’ from found objects.

My ‘curations’ are an opportunity to work in a random, spontaneous and playful manner to create new and unexpected forms.

Each small ‘assemblage’ is photographed before being dismantled into its component parts for reuse. The resulting image is all that remains – the only record of its existence. This seems the most appropriate and sustainable way of working with these unique serendipitous ‘treasures’.

I use the same ‘cut and paste’ random association method to play with ideas and images for paper collage. The majority of my work is figurative and involves story telling.

I record...

my creative ‘musings’ - as well as travels through time and place - photographically. Collectively these images form a digital memory bank to which I can turn at any time for reference or inspiration.

I am interested in exploring the role of photography and photographic editing in reinterpreting objects and creating alternative narratives.

A selection of images appear in my Instagram - ‘paperclaygirl’.

I write...

from time to time about my own work, that of other artists or subjects that interest me.  You can find these entries at the Journal section of this website.