My interest in horse-racing began early on  - from at least the age of ten I would scan the racing section of the Saturday morning papers and pick out a favourite horse or one with an unusual name so I could  watch its  progress on the television later that afternoon.  Trips to local racecourses with my mum followed - often on a crowded coach full of rowdy betting-shop clients!  Haydock, York, Doncaster, Pontefract and Ripon were amongst those first visits and watching Lester Piggott win the May Hill Stakes on Midway Lady was undoubtedly one of the highlights. Like most children, I always loved drawing, but from 12 I began to try my hand at horses. Early portraits (in pastel and pencil) included Northern Dancer, The Minstrel and Nijinsky (some of which, to my embarrassment, are still displayed on my Sister's wall!)  but it was not until college that I was brave enough tp attempt my first painting - this of Shergar in acrylic. It wasn't very good, the handling of the paint was very heavy-handed, but it did show promise and encouraged me to try more. Having always been a birdwatcher, and loving wildlife, I went to college in South Wales for two years to train as a wildlife illustrator along with my future husband David.  Since leaving college twenty  years ago we have run a successful illustration business with clients as diverse as the RSPB and Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, and in that time David has also become very well known for his wildlife paintings of British game and coarse fish. Having taken time out to bring up our two children I have continued to run the administration side of the business as well as building and maintaining our three web-sites, but it is only in the past few years that I have returned to my favourite subject.

Doncaster 1985 - Lester Piggott, Midway Lady and me!

Trips to Newbury (where we lived for a year), Salisbury, Cheltenham and Chepstow racecourses, as  well as a number of private studs and training centres have resulted in a large collection of photographs and sketches  which I am currently taking advantage of.  Recent work of such personal favourites as Fondmort, Kauto Star and Mtoto can be viewed on this  web site. Although primarily working to commission, my equestrian paintings have been on display at the Wykeham Gallery, Stockbridge, The Mall Galleries, London, The Obsidian Gallery, Buckinghamshire, The Millyard Gallery, Yorkshire, the Sporting Gallery, Tetbury and the Whitehouse Gallery, Dumfries & Galloway. I have also previously had work selected for the Society of Wildlife Artists Exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London. In 2008 I became an Associate Member of the Society of Equestrian Artists having had three paintings selected for the annual exhibition in 2006 and 2007 and two paintings selected in 2008. Having recently moved back  to West Wales, I like to spend my time at the local point-to-point and harness-racing meetings where it is possible to get extremely close to the horses - sometimes too close, as I was almost run down by a point-to-pointer at Cilwendig in  2007. He had ditched his jockey, lept the safety barrier and came clattering down the road beside the carpark at breakneck speed; several spectators, including me, had to scramble out of his way! We visited Ireland in 2006 and had a wonderful time - two weeks of glorious sunshine!  I visited two evening meetings at Ballinrobe and Wexford whilst we were there.  The light and atmosphere were just perfect for painting and I think I have probably produced more work from those two days than from any number of other meetings I've been to in England and Wales.