The Hobbit

The Hobbit

My eldest daughter has loved The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy since childhood, when my husband used to read both girls the stories before bed. This is a piece I did for her birthday illustrating Tolkien’s wonderful first line. The illuminated borders...
Silverpoint drawing of a swan

Silverpoint drawing of a swan

We saw this beautiful Mute Swan with its mate on the canal near Grantham, on a bleak winters day. There was very little wind, so the bird’s reflection was perfect, with just enough distortion of the stems on the bank to add interest. It’s always...
An illuminated ‘T’ inspired by the Bury Bible

An illuminated ‘T’ inspired by the Bury Bible

The shape of this letter B is taken from the Bury Bible. This is a large twelfth century hand written Bible, illuminated with gold leaf. Each page measured 52.5 x 35 cm, which was just about the largest size page that could be made from a whole calfskin at the time....
Indian Peacock.

Indian Peacock.

An elegant Indian Peacock with shimmering tail feathers created from blue coated silver leaf and gold ink. The frame is pure Art Nouveau, apart from the top border, the design of which was adapted from Indian architecture. The background building is, of course, the...