From a relatively early age I knew I wanted to have a creative career. Whether coincidence, or perhaps an indication of something that was just 'meant to be', the final major project for my art GCSE was based on India and was entitled 'An Explosion of Colour'. I researched the colours of India and from that moment I developed a fascination with the country. My final piece was a painted bus mounted on canvas. This picture of a decorated Indian bus was my inspiration.
At university I studied Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern Design and specialised in print. I always had a thing for embroidery and hand embroidered many of my pieces. I loved my course, it was very vocational, and I knew within the first week it was definitely the one for me.
After graduating from Leeds College of Art I moved to India to pursue a job working for a furnishing fabric manufacturers as their European designer. I worked in Mumbai for nearly 4 years learned a lot. My design skills and knowledge of processes grew immensely, as I was thrown in at the deep end, picking things up quickly. It was during that time too that my passion for embroidery design developed.
I was keen to explore and learn about traditional printing processes and use those to create modern textiles. I wanted to work closely with artisans to create a fair trade product, that was bespoke and handmade with an authentic ethnic influence.
When I decided it was time to move back home to London I knew that I wanted to draw on my experience and build on the connections I had made, very much keeping India as part of my life. My connection with India and its rich sources of influence – the people, the culture and the country's vibrant colours has shaped the focus of my products.