I come from the beautiful Yorkshire Dales in the north of England, which boasts some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Green rolling hills, sheep, farms, hiking trails, and country pubs abound. After spending the first 23 years of my life in the U.K., I flew to Sierra Leone in West Africa to join a hospital ship called The Anastasis, operated by an organization called Mercy Ships, dedicated to serving the poor and needy in the port cities of Africa. After several years traveling all over Africa and the world, I moved to the United States where, for the last 20+ years, I have worked (and still do) at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

I have loved art as long as I can remember, drawing prolifically as a child, and continuing to journal my thoughts in art over the years, particularly as it related to my faith. On my global travels I developed a strength in the use of colored pencils–partly because of the ease of transporting them around, often to very remote areas in Africa–but the medium also satisfies my love of color, precision, and detail. My work has always been expressive, colorful, and strongly symbolic, with calligraphic and typographic elements.

The word "illustrate" comes from the Latin "illuminare", meaning to illuminate, or shine light on. I believe my art illuminates the values that I ponder and hold dear–values that are "without borders", such as cultural diversity, justice for the marginalized, preserving nature and the environment, education, and the enduring richness and relevance of sacred words and literature, especially biblical texts. A portion of the profit from my work supports Mercy Ships. In this way, I hope that not only will my art inspire you, but, also contribute to the work happening beyond borders to make a difference in the world.

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