The local Community Action Officer commissioned me to create a mosaic for Nottingham in Bloom. The original idea was sparked by the owner of the newly opened Cookery School.
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With “Edible Britain” being the Nottingham in Bloom theme what could be a more appropriate location than on the front pillars of the Cookery School?

​13 edible plants were represented from artichokes, nasturtiums and strawberries to rape seed and sunflowers. The mosaic took several months to create on large mesh pieces, and a finally time was spent working on the street adhering these to the pillars and then grouting.

The building is now a beautiful cafe The Crimson Tree.

The design brief for this pizza oven was the work of Miro. I love this style of art so I was excited to get going. What I initially found most challenging was visualising the design on the huge 3D form - something entirely new to me. I needed to paint a scale cartoon so to have the confidence to begin. But what materials to use? After speaking to various technical departments it was a relief to know that it was quite safe to use household tiles on the oven and adhere with tile adhesive. So yes I ended up with backache but I have to say, to date this is still one of my favourite commissions. It can be seen in Bryer’s Bar & Kitchen, East Leake LE12 6JG

This pair of birds were commissioned for the customers sister’s big birthday. She liked my mid-century style birds but she wanted something a bit different. She suggested two overlapping birds…sometimes it’s the customers that have the best ideas. I’d love to do a whole row!

Hyson Green is a multi cultural, diverse area in Nottingham and the Mary Potter heath centre and library is a hub of the community. They have a huge garden area and as part of its transformation they wanted a series of mosaics to celebrate the Sights, Sounds and Scents found in the garden. Several of the groups who regularly use the library contributed towards the designs of these panels. All of the motifs in these mosaics were drawn, collaged or painted by ESOL, Knit and Natter groups and adults with additional needs.

The panels each measure 130cm x 45cm and were installed on posts by the seating area under a pagoda.

Fothergill Watson was a local architect with a distinct style, always with red brick and black borders. These clients were fortunate enough to own a FW house with a dragon on the apex of the roof. The roses were a nod to the name of the house without being too literal. As with many commissions this was a design challenge…when would I ever think of combining a dragon with roses!

Exclusive Firmdale Hotels, located in London and New York, feature rooms designed and decorated by the talented artist Mimi Chanard. Known for her incredible imagination and humor, she embraced various artistic disciplines, including mosaic, and developed a personal friendship with the Firmdale owners' family.

The company's artistic director sought to commission a commemorative plaque, renowned ceramic artist Katrin Moye was entrusted with the project. She invited me to collaborate, and I was honored to be involved in bringing this special piece to life.

It is now displayed in the Warren Street Hotel in New York. Watch this short film to see…https://www.instagram.com/p/DEuyisUuEdy/

Commissions come my way in all forms and sizes. This crown began life as a Cath Kidston plate and a Commerative Queen Elizabeth II cup. Both were favourite pieces belonging to the Mother of a friend who had sadly passed away. My friends cheeky cat had knocked them both off the counter and they ended up in pieces and so did my friend. Her mum was a royalist and I decided to continue the theme. I admit wouldn’t naturally have put these two patterns together in a design but somehow it works!

Within this fascinating museum, situated in Nottingham's historic Lace Market, there is a courtyard that visitors have to pass through to get to another part of the building. This area has been furnished with handmade garden furniture and planters created by current UK prison inmates.

Gardening is an unseen prison work that has been going on for decades and to highlight this to the public the Senior Curator, commissioned me to create a mosaic to feature this work.

I was approached by the Lowdham Park Committee to create a mosaic feature for their local park. The committee and the local community had raised funds for a fantastic state of the art play park, and to my delight their plan was to finish it all off with a flowing mosaic stream to celebrate the beck running through the village. 

The “bubbles’ featured in the design are metal discs each representing the children of the village.

We began discussing the possibilities of transforming the overgrown entrance of Robert Mellors school into a welcoming mosaic garden.  I was delighted when they opted to go with the mosaic "Totem Pole" sculpture.
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The Head Teacher, was keen for the monument to commemorate 80 years since the school began and the children, when asked wanted to see images of nature and bright colours. 

​Representatives from every class in the school contributed to the mosaic, working on the flowers, the hands and the weather blocks. They also made mosaics stepping stones and sun catchers.
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A wonderfully sunny, celebratory morning took place with children singing and welcoming everyone into the garden.

Door handles for gift shop and cafe, "A Roomful of Butterflies" in Sherwood. This was created using the Reverse or Indirect Method as it was essential for the tesserae to be entirely flush so as not to catch on any hands or clothing.

Hidden away down a cul-d-sac in Sherwood is a small children’s play area, Poplar Park. With new equipment, the Nottingham in Bloom team chose to brighten up the environment with some…mosaics!  A delightful event was organised and the local residents got involved. 

I took great pleasure in studying insects and blowing them up to giant size proportions for these 3 plaques, using mainly stained glass and frost-proof tiles. Many families got stuck in placing pieces for the mosaics.

Each plaque measures 90cm in diameter.

Anticipating the opening of a new coffee shop at the rear of his Sherwood gift shop and gallery, “A Room Full of Butterflies”, the owner commissioned a mosaic. ​

​With British butterflies being the obvious choice for inspiration I created a large piece to hang over the doorway to be viewed when in the café.

It was a joy to combine all types of patterned crockery with vitreous tiles and stained glass to represent the colours found in the butterflies.

Several years ago my friend and I entered a competition with the idea to produce a piece of art to reflect the local creativity.  We designed a mosaic tree notice board for the high street, and we won!!

Together with the skills of an artistic metal worker, we produced a tree complete with 52 mosaic leaves and 6 big red apples.
The grand unveiling was a memorable event, with the mayor and the local press present. We were over the moon with the local support and positive comments from friends, family and community.

This proud Scouting group had a new hall. It is used in the community by many many clubs and groups and they wanted to make its mark on the front of the building!

The colours of each letter represent the scouting groups, ie: Beavers- turquoise, Cubs- bright green etc and the apricot and black stripy border are the neckerchief colours. It is not visible in this picture but there is lots of mirror in the white background so the reflective quality really catches your eye as you pass.

The scouting groups also made a series of mosaics inside the building too, all to commemorate 100 years of !st lady Bay Scouts.

Simply, a commission of a favourite place for someone’s beloved Mum. Amble in Northumberland is where they spend family holidays.

Stained glass was perfect for this piece, so many beautiful shades and reflections.

This is my local park, I walk the dog here every day! So how delighted was I to undertake this mosaic to celebrate 100 years of the park.

If you look closely you can spot many species of leaves in the border and their names. These were hand made in clay by the some of the elderly residents of the flats situated in the park. Before the workshop, I attended a guided tour of the park by a tree expert, I collected lots of foliage and those attending the workshop pressed the leaves into the clay. Back at the studio, I glazed and fired the leaves and incorporated them into the mosaic. It worked out so well.

These customers approached me with a list of their personal hobbies and interests, my challenge was to design an abstract mosaic that subtly hinted at those themes. Look closely, and you’ll find music and guitar references, sewing and haberdashery, as well as leaves and nature. The colours were chosen to complement the shades in the couple’s soft furnishings. This large piece is proudly displayed above their fireplace.

In Lenton, Nottingham there is a busy junction where trams and cars pass. If you care to stop there you’ll find hidden behind an old wall a natural green space where busy pedestrians can sit and contemplate. It was the site of a Priory which was founded in the 10th century. I was asked to create a welcome stepping stone. For this I used the reverse or indirect method - if you want to see a short film about this process watch here…

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17954718406271835/

This joyful piece welcomes staff, children and visitors to the school and training premises. Specially commissioned in memory of a beloved staff member, it reflects her character and personality through images and carefully chosen words from her colleagues. These words also resonate deeply with the school’s values ensuring that her legacy inspires all that pass through.