From Bamboo Sticks to House Portraits: My Artistic Journey
Looking back, it's funny how rarely creative journeys follow a straight line.
Mine has taken me from art school in Edinburgh to children's book illustration, from London to Malawi and Kenya, from wallpaper design to drawing beloved homes, gardens and pets. Along the way I've experimented with bamboo sticks, porcupine quills, Quink ink and, more recently, archival drawing and acrylic inks.
Yet despite all the twists and turns, a few things have remained constant: a love of storytelling, a fascination with architecture, and a desire to create artwork that helps people reconnect with the places and memories they treasure.
The Early Years
My formal art education began with an Art Foundation course at Leith School of Art in Edinburgh, followed by Graphic Design and Illustration at Bath Spa University.
During my final year, one of my prints was selected for the National Print Exhibition, a milestone that gave me confidence to pursue a creative career.
Even then, I was fascinated by the way images could tell stories and evoke emotion.
Before university, I spent time in Italy studying art, art history and a little Italian. It was there that I first encountered the magnificent Palladian villas of Northern Italy. Sketching these beautiful buildings and learning about their history sparked an appreciation for architecture that remains with me today.
Books, Illustration and New Beginnings
After university, I moved to London and illustrated my first children's book, Pigasus, while working full-time in an art gallery on Old Bond Street.
Later, life took me to Malawi.
At the time, I had no idea how significant that move would become in shaping my artistic style.
While living in Blantyre, I found myself creatively stuck. One afternoon, sitting in the garden of my then boyfriend's parents' house, I remembered an artist friend from my childhood who used to paint with twigs from the garden.
Nearby was a patch of bamboo.
I snapped off a piece, dipped it into Quink ink and began drawing the house.
No pencil.
No plan.
Just bamboo, ink and instinct.
The experience was completely liberating.
That single drawing became the beginning of a style that would accompany me for years.
Discovering the Stories Held Within Homes
What began as an experiment soon led to commissions.
Word spread, and I found myself being invited into homes across Malawi and later Kenya. Some were family homes that had been passed down through generations. Others represented a brief but meaningful chapter in someone's life abroad.
Again and again, I discovered that these commissions were never really about the buildings themselves.
They were about memory.
The garden where children played.
The veranda where friends gathered.
The house that had witnessed decades of family life.
Being entrusted with those stories remains one of the greatest privileges of my work.
The Evolution of My Drawing Style
Over time, my toolkit expanded.
Porcupine quills collected on bush walks joined the bamboo sticks. Later, I introduced dip pens, including several beautiful vintage pens inherited from my great grandmother.
Each tool brought its own character and helped me develop a more expressive approach to drawing.
In Kenya, I continued creating house portraits while also drawing pets and illustrating two further children's books: Haraka Haraka Home by Emilie Oyen and Elombe – The Ugandan Hippo from Congo by Hollie M’gog.
One particularly memorable commission involved drawing a beloved blind goose, proving that every animal has a story worth telling.
From Artwork to Wallpaper and Homewares
Alongside my illustration work, another creative thread was developing.
Whistling Thorn Designs grew from a desire to bring original artwork into everyday living spaces.
What began with wallpaper collections gradually expanded into cushions, greeting cards and bone china mugs.
Although these products differ from commissioned artwork, they all begin in the same place: with drawing, observation and storytelling.
Whether designing wallpaper inspired by the Kenyan coast or creating a portrait of a treasured family home, my goal remains the same - to create pieces that hold meaning and bring joy.
Looking Forward
Today, my work continues to evolve.
While I still love the beautiful variations of Quink ink, I have become increasingly interested in archival materials that will stand the test of time. I am currently experimenting with professional drawing inks and acrylic inks that offer both expressive freedom and greater permanence.
As part of this next chapter, I am continuing to develop Whistling Thorn Designs through wallpapers, cushions, greeting cards and my newly launched bone china mugs, while also exploring the possibility of reopening a limited number of house, garden and pet commissions. For me, these are all different expressions of the same creative practice.
Because at the heart of everything I create is a simple belief:
The places we love shape who we are.
And sometimes the most meaningful artwork is the artwork that helps us remember.
