Carving a Lino block is a therapeutic process. Mistakes happen and I have had to come to terms with this. Through this, I have come to realise that sometimes those mistakes turn out to be happy accidents. Colour has always been important to me. It has a huge impact on my mood. As such, I always aim to produce artwork that features bold and vibrant colour. This can be created in a number of ways. Sometimes I explore colour through mixing inks for the blocks or through creating watercolour washes that form a basis on which to print. Historically, I preferred to mix blended colours on the block or build up colour in washes underneath the print layer and also played around with multi block layering but more recently I have tried my hand a reduction printing, finding pure joy in the building up of layers and textures. I thought that carving away part of the original block would be terrifying as it meant that I could never truly replicate it again. Instead, in reality, it made for an exciting change and enabled me to create pieces that are all the more special as a result. My Seaside Treasures Collection was a real opportunity to learn about the reduction print process as well as a chance to reflect on what brings calm to my life - walks on the beach. I keep returning to the combination of watercolour and striking printed line as it satisfies my need to work in multiple disciplines – I’m never satisfied with doing one thing at a time or making life easy for myself and it’s no different with my art. I have no intention of settling on one process as it very much depends on the subject which process gives me the best result. The experimental nature of art is one of the reasons I find it so engaging. My main topic of obsession is that of the natural world. I find the colours, patterns and vastness of nature to be totally fascinating but have a tendency to zone in on details rather than tackle a whole landscape. As well as producing art according to my own tastes and interests, I fulfil commissions. These requests provide an engaging an exciting challenge and force me to try things in a different way to meet the clients brief. Often, I develop ideas further after a commission as it opens me up to new avenues.