As a teenager, I used to love drawing human portraits in graphite, but then life took over and my pencils and paper were confined to storage. Nearly 30 years later, I picked up my graphite pencils again and, with the help of online videos, set about trying to improve my skills. I still liked the detail that can be achieved with graphite but, living in Costa Rica at the time and inspired by the rainforest, really wanted a way to capture more vibrancy in my art. This led me to coloured pencils and I’ve been drawing regularly with them since 2024.

In May 2025, I joined the Bonny Snowdon Academy to further develop my skills and be part of an artist community. After seeing the emotion and pleasure that drawings I had given as gifts brought to others and wanting to spend more time on my art, I started offering portrait commissions in 2026. I am honoured and proud to be a featured artist in the March 2026 issue of ‘Color’ Magazine.

Drawing with coloured pencils is slow. Each of my drawings can take 20-40 hours of work (or even more) requiring commitment, passion and patience. I love losing myself and finding peace in the process of building layers, texture and detail, then seeing a realistic drawing that captures the character of the subject emerge.

I’m an animal lover and live in Hertfordshire, UK with my dog and cat both rescued when I was in Costa Rica. I support a local charity, Rose Cat Rescue, as a foster volunteer giving vulnerable cats a safe and caring space to live whilst they find their forever home.