I was born in London in 1979 and grew up near Oxford, UK. My first degree was a 1st class BA in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Leeds, with the 2001 Instituto Cervantes Prize for Academic Excellence. This led to working for several years in overseas poverty reduction with the Department for International Development (now FCDO) and a posting to La Paz, Bolivia. In 2008, I returned to my true vocation as an artist. I went back to university having moved to Huddersfield, UK and graduated with a 1st class BA in Contemporary Art with the 2011 Chancellor’s Prize for Outstanding Achievement. A long process of experimentation within the discipline of painting followed, including a Masters by Research in Fine Art (distinction, 2014) and a PhD (2019, University of Huddersfield). Since completing my PhD I've worked with hundreds of amazing families, university students, school pupils, teachers and adult learners of all abilities as an artist-educator designing and running workshops throughout Yorkshire and Lancashire. At the beginning of 2024 I moved my painting practice into a larger space inside an old textile mill down the road from where I live with my film-maker husband Steven Briggs and our Labrador-cross Eddie. After extensive investigation into painting as a multidimensional discipline, I am currently focusing on painting as an activity on large-scale, two dimensional surfaces. I make paintings to cultivate love and kindness.