I paint the landscapes and wildlife around me. My media for working en plein air are watercolour and pastel. For my studio works, I use mixed media on canvas. My style is dynamic, using both traditional and innovative media and techniques. Having taken an Honours degree in Natural Science (Zoology) at Saint Hilda's College, Oxford, I have always maintained an interest in natural history and this informs my art.
My most exciting years were spent in the paradise that was then the Solomon Islands, where I painted the magnificent, pristine rainforests, mangroves and the Coral Sea. I have included a few of these works from my Solomon Islands Journals in one of the Galleries on this website. I met my husband there, in Honiara, Mike Bowman: mariner, chef, jeweller and restorer of steam locomotives. After returning to leave in Southern England and then Shetland, we eventually ended up on a strip of woodland and seasonal wetland in Humpty Doo, South East of Darwin.
Among the many tutors, formal and informal, who have influenced me, I would like to thank (in chronological order) my Mother, Jane Worsnop (nee Ambler) who taught me; Miss Hardy at Oxford High School, William Bird and John Newberry in Oxford, various tutors at the City Literary Institute in London; Frank Haikiu in Solomon Islands, Tony Smibert and Judith White in Australia; and more recently, Dr Sarah Simblet of the Ruskin School of Art at Oxford.
I am passionate about adult education and active participation in art. I believe that we can all draw and paint, it is part of being human. I offer watercolour, pastel and drawing classes in Darwin and private tuition. Please contact me if you would like to know more.