I was born in Yorkshire and now live in Northamptonshire working in adult learning. Away from work, my children are grown up and I have more time to spend walking, running, and making things using gathered natural materials.
My botanical casts are all totally original. They are made using plants gathered from the garden and local fields and woods. I impress the plants in clay, carefully remove them and then cast them in plaster of Paris using a simple frame or mould. The technique is called bas relief. I often paint the small casts, to highlight their detail, and frame them in small collections. Collections have included seasonal, medicinal, and poisonous plants.
I sometimes press flowers to make pictures and cards and also make cyanotype or ‘sun’ prints (when there is enough sunlight!). I started printing using flowers but also like the effect of using digital negatives. This type of printing avoids the use of toxic chemicals required for conventional photography.
At home, I enjoy combining my work with other art to make unique gallery walls. I have used these traditional methods to capture and preserve wedding flowers and favourite garden flowers. Please get in touch if you are interested!
