A Pen Portrait

Born with a love of the outdoors and walking, Frances has been roaming the hills, dales, moors and woods since she was a small child, revelling in the bewitching sorcery of the natural world, finding solace and inspiration in grand vistas and tiny details. A passionate reader of stories, she also developed a taste for the theatre and drama at a young age, attending drama classes and taking on roles, both big and small, in numerous stage productions and more recently enjoying some small walk-on roles in film and television productions. Art, something she has loved since first learning to hold a pencil, became the main focus of her creative expression during her early teens when, during an extended period of insomnia, she took to drawing on her bedroom walls to pass the time in the small hours of the night.

A young mum at 20, Frances has successfully juggled her formal art studies and practice development alongside the needs of family life. Reaching her late 30s, she found she was keen to push outside her comfort zone and develop her practice within the demands of a practice focused Masters. She was delighted to secure a place on the MA Creative Practice at Harrogate College of Art & Design, commencing in Autumn 2014. After a challenging but thoroughly enjoyable 2 years,  she was delighted to graduate with Merit in 2016.

Frances has also run creative arts & craft workshops for both children and adults, and successfully set-up and run a collaborative studio & exhibition space in Nidderdale. Believing we all have a responsibility to encourage the Arts wherever possible, she has previously volunteered as a visual arts mentor with a local High Schools and has worked closely with the Mercer Gallery in Harrogate to devise and deliver an ongoing programme of Artist led workshops and classes throughout the year. Frances is currently living and working in Perth, Western Australia and her work is regularly exhibited in the UK and Australia.