In Her own Words…

One of the first things people always ask me is: ‘Why cows?’
It’s funny how originally a city girl like myself, ends up painting cows….
I’m sure moving to the Lake District had a lot to do with this. I find inspiration on our many walks and cycles. We always have a camera handy.

I just love painting animals. This was the first cow I photographed on Coniston Old Man in 1996, she was trying to lick itself. I really enjoyed painting her, so I tried a few more and all grew from there.

 

One of the first things I paint is the eyes. This helps me to find the character of the animal, almost like we bond.
‘I observe animals, their shapes, gestures and mannerisms and in developing my ideas, I take them quite often out of their context. I like using bold colours.

In my work, I explore the possibilities of bringing the subjects in and out of focus. Composition plays an important role in my paintings.

I enjoy the gathering of information as much as I do the painting. Cows are funny creatures. Just like humans, they have their own characteristics. Their faces show expressions and a curiosity that never stops to amaze and fascinate me.

I was born in Bruges(Belgium) and finished my studies in Interior Architecture in 1993. After a 3-year break, during which I worked as an educational assistant in an immigration centre, travelled to the states, Ghana and several countries in Europe.

In 1995 I had a holiday romance in the mountains of Andalusia, which was the reason I moved to Kendal. It was my partner (now husband) who encouraged me, to start painting again
With my boys growing up, our house was getting too small to keep working from home.

In the summer of 2013, I opened the Studio-Gallery in Kendal, where I was painting and selling from. In the summer of 2017, we opened the Windermere Studio-Gallery, and in May 2018, we moved everything to Windermere. This space allows me also to run workshops, and with its lovely big windows is a very pleasant space to be in, the space feels nice and peaceful. I feel inspired by working here.