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A bit about me....
I was born in St. Ives,
Cornwall, daughter of potter John Struthers (take a moment
to look at his incredible work on the
Stoneware Ceramics
website).
I first came to Orkney in 1986 and live with my husband and
children in these beautiful islands on the shores of Scapa Flow.
During the 1980's I ran
my own hand knitwear business and later moved on to making hand-hooked
rugs, before finally returning to my artwork after the birth of my
eldest child. I began by selling paintings locally and never looked
back - today I am a full-time professional artist and I love every
minute of it (well, almost!).
Many of my paintings have been reproduced as prints and cards, and I
also license artwork for use on all sorts of products. Nowadays
I work mainly to commission for private individuals, companies and
organisations - usually working about a year ahead. I have
exhibited in Britain and Europe and my work hangs in private
collections throughout the world. My job is a privilege and a constant learning
curve - whatever the subject.
I paint nature in all it's forms. Botanical studies were my first
subjects and flowers continue to be a very important part of my work. I also
paint wildlife and farm animals, together with custom pet portraits and
illustration. The variety is fantastic and endlessly inspiring; I feel very
lucky to cover so many aspects in my paintings. I have recently started to paint
miniatures in my spare time and am rapidly becoming hooked. I work mainly in watercolour (both transparent
and opaque) - an incredibly versatile medium, whether I am working on fine fur
and feathers or sweeping landscapes.
I have just started a
'Watercolour Artist
Diary' which I hope will allow me to go into more detail on my work
in progress and latest news. It is regularly updated - do have a look and let me have your
comments and suggestions!
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Publications
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'The Watercolour Flower
Artist's Bible'
I was asked to contribute
to this wonderfully practical new book that defies it small size by covering a wealth of
topics from the basics (including materials and techniques) through to
analyzing structure and composition. It includes examples from eighteen
artists working in widely ranging styles and step by step
demonstrations, tips and tricks.
Watercolor Flower Artists Bible
(US)
Watercolour Flower Artist's Bible 
(UK)
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'Watercolour Flower Painter's Handbook' I am a contributing artist in this book edited by
Patricia Seligman. The illustrations used are from my
sketchbooks and have never been published before. Detailed annotations
appear with each artists' work. To buy this book or read reviews on
Amazon, please visit the
'Bookshop'.
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"Based
on the sketchbooks of some of the leading floral artists working today,
this beautifully illustrated book gives step by step demonstrations and
practical advice in a variety of styles and mediums."
My work is featured in a six page chapter entitled 'Learning through detailed
sketching' which shows examples of my sketches, from rough
ideas to almost finished paintings, and gives details of my approach
and techniques.
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"Long
and short stitch Embroidery: A collection of Flowers"
My
flower paintings have also used by Trish Burr in her latest book of
Botanical Embroidery
published by Sally Milner. She has
expertly converted them into floral 'needle paintings' and the results
are amazing!
To buy this book or read
reviews on Amazon, please visit the
'Bookshop'.
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"In this stunning, colour illustrated
collection of floral embroideries, the author of 'Redouté’s Finest
Flowers in Embroidery' introduces needleworkers to her unique, long- and
short-stitch “needlepainting” style of portraying flowers like a
botanical painter.
Five starter projects show novices how
to create the illusion of brushwork in thread and use basic techniques,
from preparing fabric and transferring designs to blocking and
mounting.
Sixteen easily achieved, but
challenging larger projects, enable beginners and experts to bring to
life meticulously detailed sunflowers, magnolias, bearded irises, an
Icelandic poppy, roses, and more. With diagrams, full-size templates,
and stitch directions included, this is a must-have for any
embroiderer’s library."
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The Orkney
Book of Birds
I am also working on the full colour
illustrations for this book with author Tim Dean (for publication
in 2008). You can see a sneak preview of the some of the work in progress if you
click on the swallow, and also regular updates and work in progress appear in the
Watercolour Artist's Diary.
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The
Animal World Cover Artist,
articles and interviews (USA, Nov 2005 and Nov 2006)
(back to
top)
Natural History Illustration
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I have recently completed a series of
illustrations of dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies commissioned for the Orkney ID Field Guides.
Shown below are the nine
most common species of Butterfly found here, together with some of the
Dragonflies found in the islands. This is an ongoing project illustrating the
flora and fauna of Orkney.
Signed archival Prints and
cards of the paintings are now available - please visit the
Butterflies,
Dragonflies and Damselflies page
and for more information.
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My very grateful thanks go to the
following people for their generosity in allowing me to use their
photos for reference as well - Mike and John Struthers, Mungo Montgomery, Judy
Schrader, Lesley Hartman, David Jacks and Brian Hewitt.
Also to all the other people who let me sneak up on their pets, farm
animals and other furry or feathered charges, those who have helped me
track down hard to find flowers, and last but not least to my husband for
growing such a wonderful garden full of subjects for me to paint year
after year and my kids for putting up with a mother who paints! |
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