About me
I’m a Leeds, Yorkshire based artist, illustrator and author. My mission is to delight and inspire people of all ages through my art, stories and teaching. Throughout my career, I’ve been committed to the craft of making imaginative and beautifully finished artworks.
My first love was illustration and I’ve been very lucky to illustrate for well-known international clients. Along the way I taught Illustration at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. I moved to Scotland, where I illustrated books for US publishers, exhibited my artwork at galleries and led creative workshops in schools, libraries and art centres.
I never expected to become an author when I started writing The Blackhope Enigma for young readers. It was inspired by my love of Renaissance paintings, labyrinths and mazes, old maps, Scottish castles and mystery stories. After much support from my agent, Kathryn Ross, Templar Publishing published it in the UK and Candlewick Press published it in the USA. The Blackhope Enigma inspired a sequel, The Crimson Shard. Again, I based the story on things that interest me: trompe l’oeil paintings, art forgery, eighteenth-century London and its dark side, including alchemy and even bodysnatching. The Blackhope Enigma became a trilogy with the publication of The Shadow Lantern, inspired by my interest in magic lanterns, ghosts and spirit photography.
Barrington Stoke published Yellow Rabbit, the (almost) true story of my lost stuffed yellow rabbit. They also published another illustrated novel for ages 12+, Jet Black Heart, a dark time travel story inspired by the dramatic coast of the North Yorkshire Moors. In 2022 I ventured into non-fiction with Our Colourful World, published by HarperCollins in their Big Cat series for ages 7-11. It’s full of interesting and quirky facts about colours, dyes and paints throughout history and around the world.
In 2015 I joined the BA (Honours) Illustration course at Leeds Arts University (formerly Leeds College of Art) as a Senior Lecturer. Though I’ve stepped away from that role, I’m proud to have contributed to this dynamic academic programme with its outstanding students, staff and alumni.
I sometimes wonder whether I would have set off in these creative directions if I hadn’t moved to the United Kingdom. The islands’ mysterious landscapes, rich mythology and dramatic history have provided me with rich material for my artwork and stories. I now live in Yorkshire, whose literary history and celebrated moors bring new inspiration. I was honoured to show my Victorian-inspired paintings at the newly opened Brontë Birthplace in 2025 and again in 2026 when I debuted a painting series about Emily Brontë and her world.
My paintings are in private collections in the UK and the USA. Currently available paintings and giclée prints can be seen in my online shop, my Open Studio events and at my exhibitions.