The Helston Studio: The Window and Chapter Series:
Cornwall, Wales and Tuscany 1999 onwards

The Chapter Series... each work now begins as a page where I record day to day life and my emotional responses to experiences. Gradually, the writings are taken a stage further and I overlay the dialogue with layers of media - paint, charcoal, pastel and pencil. A rich and tactile texture is created with poignant textual messages highlighted or hidden by scratching/rubbing the surface at various stages/layers of development.

On closer examination, both the writing and the fold of the page are visible, evidence of their journalistic and note book beginnings. I work in 'series', the length of which is determined by the experiences that they relate to. Each series is called a "Chapter" and each work is a "Page" of that chapter. At times, some of the pages are grouped together to form "Paragraphs". Inevitably, different experiences produce changes of mood which are reflected not only in the intensity of colour used, but also in the subtle variation of shapes, patterns and textures to be found within each page… and gradually "the story" unfolds.