Commissions and News
'JUNGLE BOOK' MURAL FOR JUNIOR KING'S SCHOOL 2020
I loved every single moment of creating this mural which was commissioned to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the opening of Junior King's School by Rudyard Kipling. The school is part of King's Canterbury, the oldest school in England, with a tradition of education dating back to 597AD.
I was asked to produce a colourful mural where the children would feel as though they were striding along with Mowgli & the animals. It's 17 feet long & 7 feet high (you can get a sense of scale by looking at the light switch on the far right). I incorporated the school pets (rabbit, tortoise and fish) & the parrots represent the school house system.
Working on such a large scale with acrylic paints was a fast process through which I hope I achieved a sense of vibrancy & movement.
I painted it during term time so that the children could watch it develop, ask lots of questions, & paint a little piece each too. They were extremely enthusiastic & loved the final result, which is of course the most important thing!
THE BRITISH MUSEUM 2020'TANTRA - ENLIGHTENMENT TO REVOLUTION' exhibition. My cards for sale in the accompanying shop.
THE LOWRY, SALFORD QUAYS 2020
My cards for sale in the gift shop.
NEEDLEPOINT CANVASES WITH THE STITCHERY & NEEDLEPOINT NOW 2015-23
For the last few years I've been collaborating with The Stitchery (based in the UK) & Needlepoint Now (based in the States). Jeremy & Elizabeth use my designs for Needlepoint canvases. My images are hand-painted in the US onto open weave canvases & sold, mainly in America, through the Stitchery website or Needlepoint Now magazine.
These canvases are premium products and sold without embroidery threads as the purchasers are highly skilled stitchers who like to work creatively, choosing their own threads, such as metallics & silks.
Jeremy & Elizabeth also organise Needlepoint Now Stitchery tours where they take enthusiasts from America to various places of textile and embroidery interest around the UK & Europe. At the start of a tour each guest is given a canvas designed by me, specifically for that tour, to work on as they travel around.
'CIRCUS' COLLABORATION 2019/2020
One of the most popular shops for selling my cards is 'Circus' a fabulous independent in Brixton Village Market, South London. They specialise in hand-picked contemporary & vintage one-offs pieces - including my cushions & prints. Following on from the success of my Christmas window display in 2018 I worked with the owner Tabitha to create our own range of velvet & cotton bags, & silk scarves to be sold exclusively at Circus. It was wonderful working with a friend who shares a love of pattern clashing prints.
'MAHARAJA & MAHARANIS' PRIVATE PAINTING COMMISSION 2019I was commissioned to paint 3 large pictures (50 x 75cm) for a client with Indian heritage. She wanted vibrantly coloured contemporary pieces with obvious Indian influences for her home. She decided to go for some existing images of mine which I then painted on a large scale.
'CIRCUS' CHRISTMAS WINDOWS 2018I was asked by the owner of 'Circus' to create a display for the Christmas windows in her shop. I designed some kaleidoscopic patterns and had these printed onto thick cotton fabric. I cut out circles of various sizes to create double-sided giant baubles, which were padded & embellished with metallic ric-rac, shiny bells, tassels & buttons. A large display of various pieces, including my cushions, was made in the windows with the baubles. Although they were made purely for display many were sold as customers enquired about them. I also produced two large banners for inside & out. I love sewing & creating with textiles, & it was wonderful to have the freedom to make something completely different.
ITOYA, TOKYO 2018
My cards for sale in this stunning stationery department store in Japan.
THE BRITISH MUSEUM 2017My cards for sale in the main gift shop.