When I see and enjoy art I examine it very closely. Almost nose to canvas!
In painting and drawing both, I place emphasis on surface texture by layering transparent surfaces, brushstrokes, pattern, and color. I emphasize the energy and directions of the brushstrokes, the colors that lurk behind them and how a line can be evoked by subtle shifts in and the separation of tone, with no hard edges. My forms forms are frequently "disturbed" by pattern and texture. I don’t mean disturbed in a negative sense, but interfered with the way an “interference pattern” is used to camouflage an object that wants to be invisible.
In sculpture, I try to capture subtle gestures - a shrug, a snub, a distance. My figures are quiet and edited in form, and the surface is treated with the same attention to detail and “disturbance” found in my painting, not so much to make them invisible, but to make race, sex, and spirituality, indeterminable.
I have always loved the texture and translucency of Vellum - it glows when catching the light, yet casts a firm shadow - and it has been fun to explore as a medium in my shadow boxes.
My early Career as a Graphic Designer and Book Illustrator in South Africa, the UK and France have served as a solid base for developing my skills and exploring new ideas. Working in the international world of Building Restoration in South Africa and London, where I photographed and documented large historical projects and produced quarterly publications honed my love and fascination for Architecture, a constant source of inspiration.
Studied Graphic Design at CPUT, Cape Town, South Africa
Practiced design and marketing for an international Building Restoration company in both South Africa and the UK.
Started painting in Scotland when pregnant with my daughter, Holly Jones Tufts, and have never looked back!
Have lived and worked in Cape Town, Johannesburg, London, Paris, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Silicon Valley CA, Gulfstream FL and Salisbury CT.