Biography
I was born in the back room of my Nan’s house in Little Bushey Lane, Bushey, Hertfordshire. I then lived in a
caravan with my Mum and Dad, younger sister Sue and dog for the first 4 years of my life. We had no running
water, having to use a communal standpipe, but we had a small vegetable plot with a shed. It was in this shed
that my earliest artwork took place when I painted my 3 year old sister head to toe in black paint over her yellow
dress.
When Mum became pregnant with my brother Antony, we were able to get a council house in Bournehall
Avenue in Bushey. Later she had my sister Alison making us a family of 4 kids and 2 dogs. I lived in Bushey
until I was 18 when I moved to Bristol to attend Bristol Polytechnic, now UWE. I always knew I wanted to teach.
When I was 11 years old, I set up a little school in my bedroom and from there I ran English, Maths and Art
classes for the local kids on the estate. It was a good feeling when my Mum’s best mate, Peggy, thanked me for
teaching her son to read.
My Dad bought me my first set of oil paints when I was 9 years old and from that point onwards, there was
always the smell of turps permeating throughout the dining room. I loved painting portraits of old kings as well
as fantasy woodland landscapes and still life.
I attended Bushey Meads Secondary School and while doing my A levels, studied Life Drawing at St Albans Art
College. I decided I wanted to teach Art as it was, and still is, my greatest passion in life. I wanted to inspire
others to share this passion with me.
In 1984 I was awarded a B.Ed honours degree at Bristol Poly, specialising in art education at secondary school
level. Bristol was love at first sight for me. I loved the architecture, the people and the different vibes from each
distinct area of the city. I went on to work for a total of 25 years as an art teacher in and around Bristol. At
college I chose to specialise in ceramics as I wanted to extend my range of art techniques beyond 2
dimensional works. I have since continued not only to paint and draw but have also established myself as a
stained glass artist.
One of my best experiences was teaching art in Australia in 1995 for a year on a teacher exchange programme
in Newcastle, New South Wales. I particularly fell in love with the Red Centre of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef
and the rainforests of Queensland, as well as the people.
I got itchy feet after Australia and went on to visit other places in the world. I found that I had a love for desert
landscapes. One of my trips was from Marrakech in Morocco through the Atlas Mountains, down to the Sahara
where a friend and I did some very uncomfortable exploring by camel and camped out with some Bedouins.
In Arizona, en route to the Grand Canyon, a friend and I drove from Tucson to Phoenix through the desert in to
a ‘vanishing point’. Being surrounded by the strong desert colours at sunrise and sunset and the huge cacti was
stunning.
In 2005 I met my husband Malcolm Hopcraft. He worked originally as a stone mason and sculptor but now also
makes bespoke furniture, windows and doors for people who live in our region of Aude in the French Pyrenees.
In 2006 we were married at our local Mairie, followed by a humanist ceremony in the field opposite our house.
Our reception was in the beautiful village square of Rennes les Bains which has connections with the
conspiracy theory behind the story of the Holy Grail. This story and the history of the Cathars has been an
inspiration for some of my paintings and glasswork.
My artwork has been exhibited in local shops and arts trails around Bristol in the UK as well as in the South of
France. I have undertaken a variety of commissions from pencil drawings of pet’s portraits to large abstract
works in stained glass.
Art for me is about light; its effect on colour, shadow and surface texture; whether it’s perceived on 2d surfaces
or through glass or bouncing off 3 dimensional forms.
Inspiration has been drawn from my travelling experiences, places, objects and people around me. The subject
of my oil painting and pencil drawing is versatile covering a wide range of genres such as still life, portraits,
landscapes, animals, natural and manmade forms, deities and allegorical works. I also enjoy creating small
everyday objects on a large scale and producing works in the style of trompe l’oeil. My glasswork is both
abstract and figurative. It includes glass painting, fusing, leaded panels and work using copper foil.
I am currently living and working as an artist in the French Pyrenees but can accept commissions from further a
field. If you would like Malcolm or me to create something special for you on any scale we can offer the following
between us:
Paintings
Drawings
Stained Glass
Murals
Bespoke joinery
Furniture
Sculpture
Stonemasonry
We look forward to hearing from you.
Biography
I was born in the back room of my Nan’s house in Little
Bushey Lane, Bushey, Hertfordshire. I then lived in a
caravan with my Mum and Dad, younger sister Sue and
dog for the first 4 years of my life. We had no running
water, having to use a communal standpipe, but we had a
small vegetable plot with a shed. It was in this shed that
my earliest artwork took place when I painted my 3 year
old sister head to toe in black paint over her yellow dress.
When Mum became pregnant with my brother Antony, we
were able to get a council house in Bournehall Avenue in
Bushey. Later she had my sister Alison making us a
family of 4 kids and 2 dogs. I lived in Bushey until I was
18 when I moved to Bristol to attend Bristol Polytechnic,
now UWE. I always knew I wanted to teach. When I was
11 years old, I set up a little school in my bedroom and
from there I ran English, Maths and Art classes for the
local kids on the estate. It was a good feeling when my
Mum’s best mate, Peggy, thanked me for teaching her
son to read.
My Dad bought me my first set of oil paints when I was 9
years old and from that point onwards, there was always
the smell of turps permeating throughout the dining room.
I loved painting portraits of old kings as well as fantasy
woodland landscapes and still life.
I attended Bushey Meads Secondary School and while
doing my A levels, studied Life Drawing at St Albans Art
College. I decided I wanted to teach Art as it was, and still
is, my greatest passion in life. I wanted to inspire others
to share this passion with me.
In 1984 I was awarded a B.Ed honours degree at Bristol
Poly, specialising in art education at secondary school
level. Bristol was love at first sight for me. I loved the
architecture, the people and the different vibes from each
distinct area of the city. I went on to work for a total of 25
years as an art teacher in and around Bristol. At college I
chose to specialise in ceramics as I wanted to extend my
range of art techniques beyond 2 dimensional works. I
have since continued not only to paint and draw but have
also established myself as a stained glass artist.
One of my best experiences was teaching art in Australia
in 1995 for a year on a teacher exchange programme in
Newcastle, New South Wales. I particularly fell in love
with the Red Centre of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef
and the rainforests of Queensland, as well as the people.
I got itchy feet after Australia and went on to visit other
places in the world. I found that I had a love for desert
landscapes. One of my trips was from Marrakech in
Morocco through the Atlas Mountains, down to the
Sahara where a friend and I did some very uncomfortable
exploring by camel and camped out with some Bedouins.
In Arizona, en route to the Grand Canyon, a friend and I
drove from Tucson to Phoenix through the desert in to a
‘vanishing point’. Being surrounded by the strong desert
colours at sunrise and sunset and the huge cacti was
stunning.
In 2005 I met my husband Malcolm Hopcraft. He worked
originally as a stone mason and sculptor but now also
makes bespoke furniture, windows and doors for people
who live in our region of Aude in the French Pyrenees. In
2006 we were married at our local Mairie, followed by a
humanist ceremony in the field opposite our house. Our
reception was in the beautiful village square of Rennes
les Bains which has connections with the conspiracy
theory behind the story of the Holy Grail. This story and
the history of the Cathars has been an inspiration for
some of my paintings and glasswork.
My artwork has been exhibited in local shops and arts
trails around Bristol in the UK as well as in the South of
France. I have undertaken a variety of commissions from
pencil drawings of pet’s portraits to large abstract works
in stained glass.
Art for me is about light; its effect on colour, shadow and
surface texture; whether it’s perceived on 2d surfaces or
through glass or bouncing off 3 dimensional forms.
Inspiration has been drawn from my travelling
experiences, places, objects and people around me. The
subject of my oil painting and pencil drawing is versatile
covering a wide range of genres such as still life,
portraits, landscapes, animals, natural and manmade
forms, deities and allegorical works. I also enjoy creating
small everyday objects on a large scale and producing
works in the style of trompe l’oeil. My glasswork is both
abstract and figurative. It includes glass painting, fusing,
leaded panels and work using copper foil.
I am currently living and working as an artist in the French
Pyrenees but can accept commissions from further a
field. If you would like Malcolm or me to create something
special for you on any scale we can offer the following
between us:
Paintings
Drawings
Stained Glass
Murals
Bespoke joinery
Furniture
Sculpture
Stonemasonry
We look forward to hearing from you.
