I like walking and I like drawing what I see on my walks. Most of the walks I do are near my home in Backwell, in North Somerset. It has pleasant but unspectacular scenery comprised mostly of limestone hills. There are steeply sided wooded valleys, interspersed with fields and moors, which were drained and cultivated in the 18th Century. We have lived here since 1988, moving from London shortly before the birth of my children. We have developed a pattern of familiar walks in the area, which we do regularly as a family. Many of my drawings are in pencil in a small sketchbook, but recently I have been doing larger drawings in charcoal. From these drawings I make prints using lithography and hard and soft ground etchings.
When I was at school I found my experience of working in the art room frustrating. I wanted to express my feelings and ideas in a visual way but felt angry because I could not adequately express what I felt. I gave up in exasperation but continued enjoying going to art exhibitions and reading about artists. As I approached retirement from my life as a family doctor, I felt the urge to test and develop my artistic skills. I started going to evening art classes and was delighted when my tentative efforts at drawing and painting were rewarded by praise and affirmation by my tutor. I think she very kindly treated all her rather shy students in the same way. On retirement from my job as a GP, I enrolled on an Arts Foundation Course, which I enjoyed even more than the evening class. I discovered there was a progression route from this course to a degree course. I submitted my portfolio. To my amazement I was accepted on the Drawing and Applied Arts BA course at the University of the West of England.
For the first few months on my degree course, I believed that I was going to be discovered as the impostor that I felt I was. But gradually I felt more confident. I was so amazed at the wide range of opportunities presented by the facilities on the campus that for a long while I behaved like a child in a sweet shop. I felt nurtured by my tutors and was delighted to be encouraged to play with all the techniques and materials offered. When my friends outside the course asked me about my experiences I told them that I was going to my ‘play group’; because that’s how it felt. The next few pages show some of the pieces that I have produced on my journey.
For the first few months on my degree course, I believed that I was going to be discovered as the impostor that I felt I was. But gradually I felt more confident. I was so amazed at the wide range of opportunities presented by the facilities on the campus that for a long while I behaved like a child in a sweet shop. I felt nurtured by my tutors and was delighted to be encouraged to play with all the techniques and materials offered. When my friends outside the course asked me about my experiences I told them that I was going to my ‘play group’; because that’s how it felt. The next few pages show some of the pieces that I have produced on my journey.