Art

I’m a retired of teacher of children with additional support needs and mental health conditions in a psychiatric hospital and other settings. Classroom and therapeutic practice involved engaging and forming trusting relationships with children through art and play. The mutual enjoyment and fun of these activities have been at the root of my taking up painting in the last few years, beginning in the Covid epidemic of 2020. My painting and drawing is abstract, gestural and colourful, influenced by all that is around me and by past memories of places and mood. I find great joy in colour, in vibrancies, in pattern and juxtapositions and am influenced by artists as diverse as Joan Mitchell, Patrick Heron, Monet and Bonnard as well as the patterns shapes and movements in Indigenous arts. As a zen practitioner I like to work with what comes up in the moment, from the puzzle of first marks.

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Writing

My debut novel, Giselle and Mr Memphis was published by Vagabond Voices in September 2022. I’ve had short stories published in Gutter Magazine and in Thi Wurd’s Earthly Rewards anthology and poetry in Independent presses (Hickathrft, Black and Blue) and online. I enjoy journaling and blogging and am currently working on a second novel – Billy Tuesday. More on the writing page.

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Release

In 2008 I signed up to study for an MA in Screenwriting at Napier University. This greatly helped the planning of Giselle and Mr Memphis and was a very enjoyable year. As a result I met someone, now a good friend, who offered me the opportunity to make a film of one of my screenplays under his supervision. The short film Release is the result… more details on the Release page.

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Zen

I have practiced zen for the past ten years or so with differing levels of engagement. I find that sitting zazen, listening to Dharma teachings and practicing with our village meditation Sangha offers me much support in my daily life, indeed, these days, it is the fundamental heart of my being. More on the zen page.

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