'Have you thought about printing on fabric?' an internal voice whispered to me through the depths of sleep, where apparently I was contemplating my Cenote-inspired Artist's Window display for UnderStory, and how to complete it at scale. The brief from the independent plant and gift shop in Brighton: ‘foliage-themed and big enough to make an impression in two large windows’. The solution: two 1sq m silk scarves, printed with original designs taken from two large-scale mixed-media collages, edged with slogans seen on actual road signs sighted in Tulum (in Highway Gothic, the font used on Mexican road signage). They also slot together to form one large picture, based on a morning spent at Cenotes Cristal and Escondido, a short bike ride from Tulum Town.

From sunrise surfs, fuelled by motor-grade coffee and Seeni bananas, via beach meditations spent peering at the intricacies of fishing nets to a moment in time on Sri Lanka’s Ella to Kandy train, where - over the course of seven-or-so hours - the soaring landscape entices you to hang out the doors and lever yourself out the windows to catch a glimpse of every wisp of cloud, leaf of tea and flash of colourful clothing. Clad by morning mist or lit by dancing sunlight, Sri Lanka holds many wonders.

Original Artworks: Mixed media collage (printmaking, paper, digital); dimensions vary

When it comes to cenotes, the deep, natural water-filled caves that take their name from a Maya word meaning ‘abyss’, Mexico is the land mass with the largest number of these natural wonders. A refreshing, morning dip in Tulum’s Gran Cenote, between thundery downpours, inspired this piece, depicting a network of cave-covered, bat-inhabited azul pools.

Original artwork: Mixed media collage (ink, acrylic, papers); 59.4 x 84.1cm

From the cool haze of purple clouds, swirling on the horizon as the local surfers head out for a sunrise set (that goes on into, and through, the day) to the power play of a sunset palette, swept through by low-flying frigate birds who barely clear the waves with their non-waterproof wings… the Mexican coast never disappoints. It will occupy your senses with every subtle shift of the sun (and then moon).

Original artwork: Mixed media collages (ink, acrylic, papers); combined, 59.4 x 84.1cm; individual, 42 x 59.4cm

‘How many blues can you see?’ began the conversation, as we bobbed waist-deep in the warm waters that lapped the golden sands of Playa de los Muertos, Sayulita. Later, this focused me as I tried to piece together an image that conveyed the sense of various trips to this particular local cove (which takes its name from the beautifully kept nearby graveyard) calm while bustling with beach vendors, encased in rocky outcrops and jungly foliage.

Original artwork: Mixed Media (ink, acrylic, papers); 59.4 x 84.1cm

Welcome to the jungle-surf labyrinth. You'll stumble upon one of its beach exits somewhere beyond the between the verdant green, cathedral-like arcs of the virtually untamed wilderness, the swishing palm trees and the gold-glittered shoreline...

Inspired by a mini surfari to a hidden gem of a Mexican beach.

Original artwork: Mixed Media (ink, acrylics, papers); 59.4 x 84.1cm

Long before the Italian Divisionist artists started studying natural light (in a similar way to Impressionists working in France), creatives were concerned with capturing the special quality that’s particular to Italian light. Buildings glow, shadows show their true colours and everything is endowed with a kind of liveliness that makes you stop (with your handmade gelato) and just look. These images, inspired by a trip to Puglia, were a study of local colour.

Mixed media digital collages (Ink, Printmaking, Papers, Digital drawing); dimensions vary

Sea swimming has long been touted as beneficial for our health – just look at how recuperation at the British seaside became a medical prescription in the Regency period (early 19th Century). It’s a tradition that has been upheld on the Sussex coast, with the Brighton Sea Swimmers venturing in for a daily dip, 365 days a year (weather permitting). In 2020, with the pandemic closing gyms etc, more people noticeably turned to sea swimming… This series was initially inspired by a scene seen on a cold January day on the coast, and then added to as the seasons and characters seen on the beach changed.

Mixed-media collages (acrylics, papers); various sizes

Marine biologist Wallace J Nichols’ book Blue Mind explores how being in, near, on or by a body of water positively impacts our health and wellbeing. I grew up by the sea, and hate to stray too far from water; no surprise then that palm-shaded tree lines, speckled sand banks and attempts to ride the waves of tropical waters have become a constant theme in my work. From the sea’s rippled surface to drip-drying on the sand, these original images consider various perspectives of beach life.

Original artworks: Mixed media collage (ink, acrylics, papers); dimensions vary

An ongoing creative collaboration with London-based band, Thickets, which began with a stop-motion music video for their single Taunt, produced with Breakneck Films. A little jaunt around the film festival circuit later, we reunited to create the cover art for the band’s EP Four Last Words, and then the artwork for single, A Winter’s Warning. Experimental ideas and methods are always encouraged, so outcomes are always a little unexpected.

Cover art: A Winter’s Warning; Cover art and hand-lettering: Four Last Words; Stills from Taunt, an original stop-motion animation.

Yoga asanas, in their purest form, are a mode of meditation – they aren’t about being fixed rigidly in space and forceful against your body, they are about connecting to the movement of breath in and through space. Through a series of experiments with media (and form), these illustrations explore various yoga postures in relation to the feelings each might evoke in the practitioner, for example dynamism, extension, groundedness…

Various media, including collage, digital drawing, ink

I’ve always wanted to visit Sweden. Not sure why it’s never happened. But, during a pandemic lockdown, the opportunity to travel - even if only in my mind and art – via a poster competition run by Come To Sweden, was too good an opportunity to pass up. Here’s my take on the joys of the Swedish Lakes in summer. Fingers crossed we all get to visit in person some time very soon.

Original artwork: Mixed media collage (ink, acrylics, paper); 59.4 x 84.1cm