Process & Research
From the first conversation to the finished wall ~ and the thirty-year research journey that informs every brushstroke.
The best commissions start early. I always encourage clients and designers to get in touch before the scheme is fully resolved ~ an early conversation invariably produces a better result.
The brief
Once I understand the brief, I immerse myself in research. For historically informed projects this might mean weeks in archives and collections. I develop two or three design directions for the client to respond to.
Research & design
All final artwork is painted by hand at my Hastings studio. For scenic wallpapers this typically takes four to eight weeks. For fresco secco panels, the plaster is hand-mixed and hand-applied before painting begins.
Painting
Once painting is complete, I scan at high resolution and complete the repeat in CAD. I digitise with the lightest touch so the imperfect hand stays ever-present.
Paint to pixel to print
These are one-of-a-kind pieces: hand-plastered, hand-painted, and impossible to reproduce. Each panel begins with an open-weave hessian, onto which layers of plaster-like paste are applied by hand to create a unique, rippling surface. The design is then painted in chalk washes, distressed back to reveal the layers beneath, and finished with hand-buffed wax.
Fresco secco panels
← Awards
“My ideal brief is one where research and artistry meet: perhaps a newly discovered Tudor design requires faithful reconstruction ~ or perhaps it needs to evolve for a contemporary application.”
