Whilst I have drawn and painted all my life, I have only recently discovered printing. Having tried a range of techniques, I found I was particularly drawn to collagraphs, for both the process of plate-making and printing and the resulting qualities of the printed image.

I really enjoy using collaged materials and the process of cutting and sculpting the surface to create the plates and like to explore and experiment with the different ways of inking a plate, combining different printing techniques and using multiple plates to create the final image.

I like to start with a subject that is real and has a sense of place and my prints are usually based on images from one of my many sketchbooks, such as the trees and woodland of the historic parkland of Calke Abbey, Derbyshire. Collagraphs are well suited to the depiction of my favourite subjects of landscapes, trees and woodland and I find the range of shapes, textures and organic qualities of the resulting printed image exciting and absorbing. Trees in particular hold a fascination for me and the use of the collagraph technique allows me to interpret and capture their visual qualities – the forms and shapes and the patterns and textures of trunks, boles, branches, twigs and bark and the way their leaves filter and reflect light and change colour with the seasons.