How did you develop your drawing practice?
My practice is all about working outside, seizing the moment and drawing, usually in an opportunistic manner. So almost all of my work is done on reasonably small sheets of paper on a clipboard or in sketchbooks usually whilst standing up. (The exception to this is some of my natural history drawing - feathers, lichens, seed pods, etc., which I tend to do in the studio.) The majority of my drawings are completed in charcoal, although I sometimes use pencil, chalk, watercolour or ink: whatever suits the subject and the moment really. I rarely leave home without a small sketching bag which contains a selection of materials and a selection of different papers. Drawing appeals to me because of its immediacy and the very basic materials required. That said, I do enjoy working in other ways and frequently make small paper weavings based on text and maps to explore particular themes or ideas. These are, in many ways, the opposite of my quick drawing outside.
Have you always been a full-time professional artist, or did you have another career prior to that?
Initially I was in academia, via a DPhil and Research Fellowship in evolutionary biology, and for decades I continued to teach a little for the Human Sciences and Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Oxford University. For most of this time, though, from 1997 until 2024, I was mainly working in schools, teaching A level and IB Biology and Environmental studies. I became increasingly part-time as my art career became established.
And not forgetting the absolutely most important part of my career which was to be a mum to my two boys, now in sixth form and at university. I was fortunate not to have to work much during their early years. These five or so years taking time to enjoy the small things in life - to notice things and and follow up on them, to walk slowly, to watch spiders make webs, to make things, and never to be under time pressure would later come to inform pretty much all that I do now. (And hopefully to inform their own joy and appreciation of being in the natural world too.)
What does an average day look like if you’re spending it making?
I draw every day, almost always outside, although I am largely opportunistic in the way I do this. Sometimes the weather might be perfect first thing so I might dash out early for some atmospheric morning sketching; on other occasions I might head out to do other tasks and take a sketchbook with me in case I happen upon something interesting. Sometimes I might anticipate a full moon or a frost and be prepared to seize the moment and draw then. Of course if I am working on a commission I might need to focus on this at a particular time of day. I might need to get to a location for drawing, for example. Working on locations outside of Oxford always takes a lot more planning in terms of timing, getting the right time of day, hoping the weather stays good, etc.
On other days I might focus more on natural history drawing in the studio - it is always exciting to find a new feather or item from the natural world that I haven't drawn before and get absorbed in these more detailed drawings and watercolours.
Then there are days when I am teaching or planning workshops or getting work framed and ready for exhibitions.
How do you choose a subject/new piece to work on? Do you have a bank of ideas/sketches/reference material?
Again, (and I am aware that I have used this word a lot!) - it's quite opportunistic, although sometimes I am working for someone else or on a series that can last up to a year.
From September 2021 -Sept 2022 I drew something every single day in the University Parks in Oxford. So then I had my location, but I also had thousands of trees (of 260 species) and lots of views to choose from! For this project I just walked until I found something that interested me in that location. From August 2024-2025 I drew from the same location on Port Meadow almost 100 times through all the months of the year. This time I had my location, but visited it at times that suited or interested me and just drew what I saw.
There are also certain trees which I return to through the seasons and I have come to know the times of day and times of year that make these most dramatic or atmospheric.
And then there are commissions which I undertake frequently. Usually when asked to draw a particular tree I will try to ‘get to know it’ at different times of the day and consider the best viewpoint, make lots of preparatory sketches and then find the best moment to make a longer study.
Why trees?
Trees link all of my interests together: my lifelong interest in natural history, my great love of being outdoors in all weathers hiking, running and exploring the landscape, my academic background spanning biological, human and environmental sciences, and, of course, the great pleasure of drawing, in situ. In drawing trees I am also contemplating their ecology, history, personal and cultural associations. As I have often said in my writing, trees often define our interactions with place and mark time and season for us. They are important to us and I am privileged to be able to work with them trying to capture something of their beauty and interest through my drawing.
What other things take up your working hours, and do you enjoy any of the more mundane aspects of art life?
Ahh! I am not so good at the admin and technical side but I am always pleased with myself if I can do a simple task like successfully adding a new page to my website. I am not so good with social media but do force myself to do it when I can.
Do you do any teaching, and if so do you feel like it contributes something to your own practice? Or brings other benefits?
I love teaching - 30 years of my career have been spent teaching and although I am not now teaching A levels, I very much enjoy workshops in schools, especially the bespoke sessions which I am often asked to devise, linking some aspect of biology, natural history or environmental science with drawing.
My work is really all about the context - the biology behind the thing - so teaching or writing about it is very important. It helps me generate new ideas and of course when teaching we are also learning from the students. In a recent project at Headington Rye I spent a year drawing the trees on the school site and then had the joy of working with years 2-5 on their own tree drawing. It was so great to have lots of children outside with charcoal and homemade inks appreciating their environment and really looking at the trees which they see every day.
I teach art workshops in primary and secondary schools, at museums and for groups in the University. I also work as a primary school guide at the Pitt Rivers Museum. This is facilitating the acquisition of knowledge and interest about other cultures, rather than teaching.
All good teaching this involves learning and understanding your subject matter really well, but being open to new ideas and flexible in your approach.
Incidentally, I think that it is very important for teachers to also be students. I want to do more of this but I certainly enjoyed doing an Italian GCSE at the age of 35 and a diploma in art and design in my late 40s. Alongside this I have taken many classes with individual art tutors which is always inspiring.
What sort of art, and which artists, inspire or influence you?
The work of the Victorian naturalists who learned about nature from drawing it.
Ruskin
Delamotte for his wonderful trees
Hugh Casson for his exquisite Oxford sketches in watercolour, pen and ink
Mark Frith - Oaks - the drawings themselves and also the story behind his project
What other things inspire your work (or just make you happy!)?
Walking, running and cycling, often on big long distance routes- have always been part of my life, as has natural history. So I spend a lot of time outdoors looking at things. I have quite a diverse academic background with a first degree in archaeology and anthropology, a DPhil in biology and other work in environmental science and the history of science - so I continue to read across all of these subjects as well as enjoying poetry and literature. I have always enjoyed making things, so whilst I haven’t done so much this past year, I usually have a sewing project on hand as well as, of course, the daily cooking.
How has your style developed over the years, and why?
I do sometimes introduce colour these days although still, essentially, it is based on monochrome, charcoal. I have experimented with different background colours of paper more than with materials really. I usually have a few colours with me and might use these sparingly.
Subject wise, I am still very much hooked on trees - more so than ever ! - but I have developed more of an interest in the background/landscape/context of these trees rather than drawing them in isolation. Sometimes, for the urban trees I include buildings and for trees in more natural settings I tend to include something more of the background and/or the sky than I did years ago. I feel that this is definitely a progression that adds atmosphere.
What sort of response does your work provoke in people?
All of my work is grounded in place and although some people buy or like my work without knowing where it is set, many people like to recognise the location. That said, I am more pleased when people describe the work as atmospheric rather than when they can just identify where it is.
Two types of things stand out in my interactions and interestingly they have each been said several times by different people which makes me pretty happy.
One is that my drawings recreate the feeling of being there in the landscape in ways that a photograph cannot do, i.e. that they look the way it feels to be in that place. I am really pleased about this because my work is all about being present in the moment - drawing in situ and hopefully capturing the spirit of place at that time. I cannot draw from photographs because when I look at a photograph I start noticing everything and yet when I am drawing in the place there is something which interests me and I subconsciously ignore the other details.
Secondly, I am always extremely happy when people say that my drawings bring to mind the work of Ruskin. Ruskin is one of my great sources of inspiration and although I am not actively setting out to copy his style I do feel an affinity for pretty much everything he says in ‘Elements of Drawing’ and his other works which I have studied closely
If you could go back and meet your younger artistic self, would you have any advice for them?
Keep experimenting, keep having a go at things, remember that doing it is more important than the end result. Most importantly just do it. A lot. Draw or make or write or whatever it is every day. Make time for it.
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