Linguist, globetrotter, and continually involved in music festivals and the theatre, I was already painting at an early age and am entirely self-taught. I have lived since childhood in the South of France, arriving in Provence at the age of six. Both my mother and grandfather were talented water-colourists.

During my student years I began by specialising in pastel and charcoal portraits and line-drawings, then became attracted to oil-painting, where my preference is for earth colours and a classicist style.

With my Irish husband Paul Connell, former actor and decorator, we bought a charming property in Provence where the beauty of the local environment provides inspiration for my paintings. Over the years we transformed the original little stone 'cabanon' on the property into a traditional country home where I have my studio.

Since 2004, I have had three exhibitions in the South of France : one in Provence; one in Menton, near the Italian border, and the third sponsored by the Town Hall of Beausoleil, adjacent to Monte-Carlo.