I have been painting since I first contracted Arthritis and I have developed a real passion for working with ink and watercolour. I also use pencil and charcoal to a lesser extent. I find art gives me an outlet for my creativity. Because my body does not work the same way it did when I started painting I have had to be flexible with my style and application. This has given me more scope to explore different media, texture and ways of application. I think this has been a benefit to my style as it took me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to be more adventurous. My art has developed because of my disability and while there may be some frustrations with application processes, I have learnt to look at life and my work from many different angles and consider possibilities.

I find that discourses of art and art education, as in most KLAs, are dominated by ablest narratives, which do not encourage the exploration and development of the full potential of the learner to gain proficiency in artistic expression and achievement. I am trying to challenge this practice.

Recently my sister Tamara and I developed a new style of acrylic and canvas using my electric wheelchair to paint and create the design. As with a lot of my art the style is abstract. It is exciting to see something evolve from nothing. Tamara helps with the paint mixing and application onto the canvases and the design and finished painting evolve from me and my wheelchair melding with the paint and the canvas.

If you are interested in finding out any more information about my painting or my next exhibition please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it