This commission was a very exciting project for me as I was asked to create a tactile painting of Henry VIII's warship "The Mary Rose", built in 1511. 

The remains of this famous warship were recovered from the Solent, off the Portsmouth coast, in October 1982 and are now preserved and on public display in No 3 dock in  Portsmouth's famous Naval Dockyards.

The painting has been handed over to the museum and, although it is now on public display, I am waiting for confirmation of a date for the official unveiling.  Details will be posted on my homepage as soon as I have details.

The 7th annual Helen Keller International Award exhibition was held at the Collins Gallery at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.  It was exciting for me to be able to attend the opening of what was a very impressive event and to see a cross section of works that were both wall hung, and sculptures.  My sculptured painting "Source of Life" was selected to be part of this wonderful show. 

Situated in the beautiful village of Emsworth, The  Queen Street Gallery in "The Old Flour Mill" is an exciting new gallery that has already run several exhibitions featuring stunning works of art.  The seasonal "Winter Exhibition" featured a number of artists and I am pleased to say that 2 of my paintings on display - "The antique dealer" and "Memories of France" - were both sold.

The inaugural "Re-Generation" exhibition took place at the County Hall on London's South Bank, just feet away from the London Eye.  It was an amazing place to exhibit.

The show was organised in aid of Cancer Research with the organiser, Jon Wiltshire,  dedicating the show to his mother.

The exhibition explored the relationship between the affects of Cancer with Art, with artists responding to the possibilities of art being a catalyst for renewal in the face of Cancer, in sometimes brave, and surprising ways.  Every one of the exhibitors used art in all its forms to produce work as a personal and moving response to cancer.   

My particular exhibit was a series of 5 tactile, sculptured, paintings that focused on breast cancer, highlighting the different age groups of women who are affected by this terrible disease.  I used these different paintings to address the positive effects of reconstruction and the outcomes.

The paintings "Woman to Woman" shows women of all ages, with changing shapes as they grow older.  The first images on the left hand side are lighter in colour and very smooth - showing youth.  As the shapes and textures change - as with age - then so the colour deepens, indicating a richer, well lived life.

The paintings in this series show each age group with a breast missing, followed by a new breast after reconstructive surgery.  The images show that breast cancer can strike anyone irrespective of age. 

My recent exhibition of sculpted paintings, held in June at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital Guernsey, was organised by the Guernsey Arts Council and sponsored by Spec Savers and Condor Ferries.  Due to its success I agreed to leave my paintings for an extra month.

For one week of the exhibition, which was shown in the main corridor, I was Artist in Residence.  This gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet staff, patients and visitors first hand, to show them my work, and enjoy the interaction.  All the works had descriptions (in text and braille) as to what had inspired me to paint that particular piece of work.

The Guernsey Arts Council also organised for groups to visit from around the Island. These included the Blind and Visually impaired, Cheshire homes, and children with learning difficulties.  The visits were always lively and fun!

The organisers, sponsors, hospital staff and people of Guernsey were incredibly helpful, kind and warm and I look forward to the time that we meet again.