I was born in Hampstead to a family of artists, and grew up immersed in art. Paintings by my parents and ancestors, Carlines and Spencers, filled the walls, along with collections of African masks, antique dolls and toys, china and various curiosities. Traditional Japanese ikat, woodcut and block print designs, Shino and Oribe pottery have all been a source of great inspiration. I am interested in antique fabrics, samplers and textile fragments, and love the faded, delicate and fragile quality in them. This relates to my recognition of nature’s transience with its cycle of creation and decay. This may be why I see beauty in apparent impermanence and imperfection. These influences had a very profound effect on me as I keep returning to them even now in my recent work. I studied Painting at Camberwell School of Art, and then went onto an MA in Textile Design at the Royal College of Art. From there I worked extensively as a textile designer, working in Switzerland before establishing myself in London. I co-founded the design studio The Collection during which time my designs were sold throughout Europe, Japan and the USA, including sales to Christian Dior, Pierre Cardin, and Ralph Lauren. I continued in the fashion industry until 1995, then left the fashion world to bring up my three daughters before returning to Fine Art in 2004. During this time I set up my own teaching business, opening my own studio to run classes for adults and young people.