“Mesmerisingly beautiful. When I feel I need uplifting I put on my headphones and watch the 2 minute video I made of your work and feel energised! It's amazing!”
Shirley-Ann Dixon, Artist, London
I create art to connect with something greater than myself. I am fascinated by the human potential for transformation and how it connects to the evolutionary cosmology and the Journey of our Universe. This passion stems from childhood wonder and a challenging personal journey to find connectedness within nature, the cosmos and all things.
A previous career as a health professional ( ) informs my interest in well-being and creativity. I am now
committed to facilitating meaningful reflection, connectedness and transformation through my work and art
practice. I work to unite newer light, digital and interactive technologies with fine art and sculpture. Using a wide
range of materials and methods, I work rapidly to transcend the rational mind and capture the essence of what I
am connecting to. My final pieces are the manifestation of extensive sensory experimentation via drawing (pencil,
charcoal, pastels, inks), painting (watercolour, acrylic, oils), sculpture (wire, clay, paper, thermoplastics, fibreoptics),
exploring corresponding movements with the body, and animation through light, film and kinetic technologies.
I find multi-disciplinary, diverse and multi-cultural work compelling as it enables the possibility of unexpected creative discovery at the edge of the disciplines. Working to go beyond the familiar, creates the space for new dimensions to open up.
My aim is to facilitate others to connect with inspiration and their individual passion through viewing my installations or participating in my workshops. I hope that my work triggers a process that reveals that at this moment each individual belongs and can make a unique and meaningful difference and contribution to the evolution of our universe.
My installations are an invitation for the viewer to live their potential, to enter an immersive experience of a greater reality: a dynamic world of connectedness, and creative processes.
In addition to ongoing development of new bodies of work, both large and small, I am a lecturer in Art and Design at New City College, have been a tutor at The Art Academy, London for over 5 years and acted as Creative Team Development Manager there from 2015-2016. I now offer innovative interactive team building and creative workshops for businesses, charities, individuals and groups and mentoring for individuals and groups. Additionally I mentored a group of emerging artists of different disciplines, lead community development projects and offer private tutoring.
My works are in both public and private collections in the UK and internationally. They are currently on display at the Art Academy, Hospice of St Francis Berkhamsted, and Trinity United Reformed Church, St Albans. They were recently showcased in London at the Canary Wharf Winter Lights, Kinetica at The Ugly Duck, the Barbican, Wac Arts, in Cambridge at e-Luminate, in Wiltshire at Womad and in Slough at the Langley Academy and the Curve.
RESIDENCIES
2016 Arts Council Grant awarded for 6 month residency at Langley Academy, Slough for project on the Universe and us.
2015 Arts Council Grant awarded for a residency at Wac Arts, London, enabled two shows (one solo and one in collaboration with the young people) and facilitation of eight workshops for disabled young people. We developed an innovative approach to workshop delivery involving an interactive dialoguing process between different art disciplines including sound, music, dance and movement with a range of different art materials and processes.
EDUCATION
2019- 2020 Post Graduate Certificate in Education, University of Greenwich via Hertford Regional College
2018 Level 3 in Education in Training
2016 Arts Award training - Bronze and Silver, experience in Gold.
2010-2013 The Art Academy, London – Diploma in Fine Art, Sculpture and Painting (First)
1989-1993 Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh - BSc (Hons) Nutrition and Dietetics SRD
1980-1983 Goldsmiths College of Art, London - Degree Course
1979-1980 Camberwell College of Art, London - Foundation Art Course
TEACHING AND FACILITATION EXPERIENCE
2019-present Lecturer in Art and Design, Course Leader, Level 3, New City College, Epping Forest Campus
Teaching Levels 1-3 and Foundation
2013-present Tutor at the Art Academy - Teaching core skills in drawing, painting, mixed media and sculpture, developing and running a range of Unlocking Creativity courses, Exploring Movement through Mixed Media, skill
development courses for young artists, facilitating creative team building events.
Feb 2019 Workshop for Young Carers, 'Hear Us Shout,' Oaklands College, St Albans
Mar 2019 Workshop for Health and Social Care Students: 'Health and well-being through the Arts', Epping Forest College
Dec 2018 Tutor for life drawing course, St Francis' Hospice, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
Jun 2018 Awesome Elements – day workshop for STEAM day at Aureus School, Didcot
Apr 2018 Celebrating the Life Force through colour, form and Texture – Workshop for Association of Biodynamic Massage Therapists, Royal Society of Medicine
Mar 2018 Light in the Tunnel – Shining a Light on Didcot’s high tech past and future – facilitating interactive art project at Global Citizenship Day, workshops and final installation for Aureus school, Didcot.
Nov 2017 Arts and Mental Health Training Day, Langley Academy Workshop Workshop and presentation on Unlocking Creativity
Uniting Head, Heart and Hands, Happiness Matters Conference
2016 Developing and running art-science workshops for children of all ages at Langley Academy
2016 onwards Bronze, Silver and Gold Arts Award training for all ages
2015-2016 Creative team development manager, the Art Academy: running and developing creative team building for the corporate world and social and charitable groups
2016 -present Mentoring Xtra.Art, Young Artist collective (ages 17-21), Slough
2015 Creative Royston, Lantern making workshops for all ages of 350 young people to create Tree of Light
2015 Wac Arts - Developing and facilitating creative workshops for different groups of young people with learning difficulties
Prior to this many years experience of workshop and training programme development and facilitation for health professionals and clients of all ages and backgrounds
SOLO SHOWS
Sept 2018 Deep Time Evolving & Transforming from Stardust - films showing and workshop, Transition in Kings, Kings Langley
Jun 2018 Deep Time Trilogy - films showing and workshop, Drumalis Retreat and Conference Center, Larne, Ireland
Mar 2018 Light Up Your Life, Opening of Aureus School, Didcot
Dec 2016 Transforming from Stardust, The Curve Cultural Centre, Slough
Oct 2016 Transforming from Stardust, Above Slough Aspire Centre, Slough Trading Estate
Oct 2016 Transforming from Stardust, Langley Primary School Slough
Sept 2016 Transforming from Stardust, The Langley Academy, Slough
Jan 2015 Light-Life IGNITE, Wac Arts, London
July 2014 Large kinetic stage installation, WOMAD, Charlton Park
May 2014 Soul Ignition and tribute for Sun Ra centenary concert, The Barbican, London
SELECTED GROUP SHOWS
Set 2019 Rose Nebula, Hospice of St Francis - Exhibition at Open Afternoon - 40th Birthday celebration
Dec 2018 Monoprints, Open Door Berkhamsted, Herts
Our Universal Sea, Love it or Lose it? As part of The Universal Sea tour exhibition:
22 Apr- 10 Jun '18 The Center of Polish Sculpture, Oronsko
5-6 Jun 2018 Aalto University Design Factory in Espoo/ Helsinki
9-10 Jun 2018 DOKU.TECH, Termokiss, Prishtina, Kosovo
21-22 Jun 2018 WE MAKETHE.CITY, Main Public Library, Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam, Oosterdokskade, Amsterdam
4 Aug 2018 DOKU.TECH, Prizren, Kosovo
6-10th Oct 18 Hybridart Space, 1052 Budapest, Galamb Street 6, Hungary
Mar '18 Unboxing Deep Time, The Art Academy, London
Nov '17 Exploring Deep Time, The Art Academy, London
November 2017 Drawing between Matter and Movement - Spontaneous choreography collaboration, Camden Arts Centre
February 2017 Workshop and holographic projection of installation, Kinetica, Ugly Duck, Bermondsey
January 2017 Transforming from Stardust, Ugly Duck, Poplar
January 2017 Transforming from Stardust, Canary wharf, Winter Lights, London
Oct-Dec 2015 Golden and Violet Nebula, 'Gravity,' Kinetica Residency at the Hospital Club, Covent Garden
Sept 2015 International Conference Poster Presentation, Shree PK Chaudhari Mahila Arts College, International Year of Light
Sept 2015 Tree of Light, produced through workshops with 350 Children in Royston, Creative Royston Illumination Festival
March 2015 Light-Life IGNITED, Wac Arts, London
February 2015 e-Luminate Festival, Cambridge
Feb-April 2013 Light Jewels, KPMG, Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London
Nov-Dec 2013 Reflections, Upstairs Gallery, Berkhampsted
Dec 2013 Advent Fair, Rudolph Steiner School Kings Langley
Sept '13 –Mar 2014 Art showcase, Nesta, UK’s Innovation charity, helping people and organisations bring great ideas to life
July 2013 & 2014 Art In Action, Oxford
July 2013 Diploma Graduation Show, The Art Academy, London
2012 One Sky, Light installation, KPMG, London
2010 From Darkness to Light, The Shunt, London
SELECTED COMMISSIONS
2019 Peace Hospice, Watford, Purple for Peace Light sculpture
2019 Peace Hospice, Watford, Starburst Light sculpture
2018 Aureus School, Light up your Life, large scale mobile/chandelier
2016 Langley Academy, Transforming from Stardust
2015 Wac Arts, London, Light-Life Ignited, large kinetic interactive installation
2014 Hospice of St Francis, Berkhampsted – wall mounted light installation
2013 Nesta, London – ceiling light installation
2013 FutureFest - Shaping Things to Come, Shoreditch Town Hall, London – Light Journey installation
2013 Trinity United Reformed Church, St Albans – ‘Community Support and Outreach’ ceramic
2012 KPMG, London – ’One Sky’ Installation for exhibition
RECENT PRESS
Oxfordshire Guardian, April 2018 - see blog
BBC Radio Berkshire Interview 25th October 2016
SLOUGH OBSERVER 27th October 2016
COLLECTIONS
Uk, Ireland, Balearic Islands, USA
ART PRIZES/AWARDS
2017 Shortlisted for Darc Awards
2016 Arts Council Award for Residency at the Langley Academy, London
2015 Arts Council Grant for Residency at Wac Arts, London
2013 Award from Tom O'Neill, Art Advisor to KPMG for research and innovation into light sculptures.
