Swans at Castle Howard

This is the largest of my current works and was created for an exhibition at the Marriot Hotel in York. I was at a loss as to what to create, as the requirement was for local interest, and my work is mostly focused on the animal I am depicting - but driving past the Castle Howard lake gave me my answer, as there were some magnificent swans on the lake.

 Needle felted from rare breed wool onto a reclaimed wool background, the picture is framed behind clarity glass in a white wood box frame. It measures 1100mm by 730mm

In a Golden Temple

This piece was the result of an encounter with a hare in the rapeseed fields near my village home. If you are quiet, you can peep down the "tramlines" and glimpse wildlife sheltering there. I've seen pheasants, fox cubs and rabbits, but the one that stayed with me was a very wet hare, looking completely miserable. The sun was just breaking through the clouds, and the wonderful golden glow of the rapeseed flowers looked like it might just dry him on its own.

This piece is needle felted from rare breed wool onto a wet felted background. The rapeseed flowers are wet felted and attached to wire stems wrapped in embroidery silk. Another large piece, at 1000mm by 600mm, he is framed in a white wood box frame behind clarity glass.

A Suitable Place to Stand

The quote this piece is named for, is "Give me a suitable place to stand and I  can change the world". Created for an exhibition focusing on climate change, I wanted to showcase the wonderful adaptability of our wildlife, and the Peregrine Falcon has made the cities its home - probably as soon as there were cities! This one is perched on a gargoyle from York Minster and I am hugely grateful to birder and photographer Andrew Mitchell for permission to use his reference photograph.

Needle felted from rare breed wool onto a wet felted background, I hugely enjoyed the challenge of making something so soft as sheep's wool resemble the solidity and hard edges of the limestone carving.

Measuring 750mm by 450mm, the peregrine is framed behind clarity glass in a white wood box frame.

Cock O' the Walk This piece was created plein air while I was exhibiting at the wonderful Helmsley Walled Garden last year. The "Hot Border" looks wonderful at any time of year and there was a gorgeous show of late summer colour. I enjoyed adding the resident cock pheasant, I always feel that this is a bird who either struts majestically, or is in a panic-stricken flap and there is no middle ground. This particular gentleman was always very much feeling himself lord of the manor - hence the title of the piece.

Needle felted from rare breed British wool onto a reclaimed wool background, he is framed behind clarity glass in a white wood box frame and stands 750mm high by 450mm wide

The Secret Garden This picture depicts Mary Lennox at the moment where she discovers the keyhole for the Secret Garden door behind the curtain of ivy covering the wall. This book was and is a perennial favourite of mine from being about eight years old  - and I got the idea for illustrating the moment when  I came across a wonderful photo a friend had taken of her daughter. The slight air of secrecy, the way she was looking behind her to see if she was observed, it felt quite magical. 

Framed behind clarity glass in a white wood box frame, Mary is needle felted from rare breed wool onto a wet felted background. She measures670mm wide by560mm deep.

Chasing Gulls This particular image is one I held in my memory for a long time, of my young daughter chasing gulls at sunset on the beach at St Ives, before creating it in wool. It is wet felted with needle felted details and is framed behind clarity glass in a white wood box frame. The picture measures 550mm by 550mm

A Well Earned Rest This picture is of two retired racing greyhounds. They love nothing more than snoozing on their blanket by the fire after a long career of dashing round a circuit after a mechanical hare. Needle felted from rare breed wool onto reclaimed wool and framed behind clarity glass in a white wood box frame, this picture measures 500mm by 500 mm.

Lammas Hare Inspired by the hot summer days when the wheat is ripe and ready for harvest, this hare is needle felted onto a wet felted background. Framed behind clarity glass in a white wood box frame, he measures 500 by 500mm