A Little Crooked History

In 2012 I began selling my artwork at a weekly market stall in Herne Hill, South London. I chose the name 'The Crooked Style' for my new business as my work is primarily influenced by the power of folk lore and fairy tales. It turned out to be a very fitting name, especially as my work has often been described as darkly quirky and whimsical.

From 2012 through to 2018 I sold hand painted picture frames and boxes alongside giclée prints of my illustrations and handmade cards. I soon added jewellery to the range by setting my images under glass domes and applying them to pendant trays, earrings and brooches. I also sold my work through a variety of independent shops and at one-off craft fairs and events. I do still sell a small selection of my work here on my website.

In 2015 I was approached by the author and film maker Sarah Gray to illustrate her first book of short stories. We found that we had many similar likes and influences and our collaboration proved to be a perfect fit. I have since gone on to illustrate more books for Sarah, for other authors and also clients for online magazines and individual projects. I would like to develop this aspect of my career further, as well as write and illustrate my own books. My dream would be to develop one of my stories into an animated film.

In 2021, the rights to Sarah's books were sold to  American Publishers Mercuria Press who commissioned me to add extra artwork to the existing text. The book is also available through its parent publisher, Chin Music Press.

My work is inspired by the generations of artists and storytellers who have kept our folklore, fairy tales and urban legends alive and relevant to us to this day. I have always been drawn to fantastical, magical worlds where the ordinary and mundane interweave with the extraordinary and supernatural. We all need a safe familiar space where we can explore our feelings of doubt and fear within the safety and confines of these ancient narratives. In the wise words of our ancestors, "if there is a way into the wood, there is also a way out"...

The seeds were sown at an early age by my maternal grandmother, who loved nothing more than to give us a polo mint (before bed time and after cleaning teeth) and regale us with stories of her youth. She was incredibly superstitious and prone to resort to her store of old wives tales. We were told to "never do your laundry on New Years Day or you will wash someone out of the family", or to "never give gloves as a gift or you will fall out". I still dare not do either of these things for fear of the consequences.

However, she really did instil a love of stories and myths in me, which I continue to explore. My work sometimes strays from these themes, but I usually find myself drawn back to the forest.

I have a BA in painting and printmaking and also gained an MA in illustration in 2008. I have worked as a scenic painter, pavement artist, mural painter and for one surreal week, a dresser for Rugrats - The Musical at Wembley Arena ( an interesting aside ).

Many of my ideas and themes are based around folklore, fairy tales, old wives tales and urban legends. I also take a lot of inspiration from the art of the theatre, fairgrounds and historical costume, especially from the Georgian period up to the 1970's. Some of my favourite Artists, who have also been a massive influence, are Goya, Hogarth, Lotte Reiniger, Edward Gorey, Ronald Searle and Paula Rego. I also want to acknowledge one of my favourite authors when I was growing up... Joan Aiken, who inspired me beyond words.