For many people the COVID year of 2020 was one of dramatic change and upheaval. For me it was no different however the rollercoaster came in the form of my son who was born in late 2019.

The common phrase "nothing could have prepared me for..." came nowhere near close the upheaval that I experienced. The intensity of emotions and physical exhaustion was overwhelming. It was although I had entered a secret world, a mysterious society which came with a strange new set of rules and expectations.

I created very little in the first year and stopped again after my daughter was born three years later.

When my son started school and my daughter was enrolled in preschool, I begain painting again.

I have had to adjust my working methods to minimise toxic materials in my studio. Acrylic paints have been an excellent way to provide a toned ground or underpainting without using large quantities of toxic thinners. Allowing the underpainting to show through in places, gives a feeling of depth and pulls the piece together.

In addition to my oil paintings I have started work on a series of small multimedia pieces which can be worked on during the evenings. They are easy to pick up and put down between toddler wake-ups and as the colours are not intended to be accurate, they don't require daylight to work by. The materials are combination of pencil and watercolour, and childrens art materials such as felt tips, colouring pencils and pavement chalks. These pieces are also serving as a jumping off point to larger and more complex oil paintings.

The reoccuring theme of the monkey is a symbol of the various aspects parenthood - among them joy, pain, loss of control.