About
I’m an artist, primarily using printmaking, drawing and collage, sometimes working with animation and artist books.
My PhD was a deep dive into ‘trauma-informed’ artist practice and the potential of collage for both trauma-informed practice and research methodology. I was based at University of Exeter in cultural/human geography and at the University of West of England at the Centre for Fine Print Research. My research evolved from my work as a community artist, becoming gradually aware of the impact of trauma on people and wanting to understand how artists can work with individuals more safely in a creative way.
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Printmaking is a passion because it has huge potential for mark-making, includes a vast range of processes and allows for experimentation and playfulness. Having tasted many of the processes through learning and then teaching at Double Elephant Print Workshop (Exeter, UK), I continued my study at the University of West of England (Bristol, UK) undertaking a part time MA (2015-18 Distinction) in Multidisciplinary Printmaking.
Collage is a recent passion, and it formed a core strand of my PhD research where I used it to study safe creative practice with service users at Devon Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Services. I love it for it’s non-threatening accessibility, it’s enviro-credentials and it’s inherent playfulness.
My PhD thesis can be accessed and downloaded at this link.