If you notice that many of my children’s characters are sporting hats, it is no coincidence. When I first came to California from the UK, I took up hat design as a creative way to make a living.

Hats can be whimsical or just plain silly. Children love to laugh at characters that are silly. It is even funnier if a character takes himself very seriously and wears a big hat!

In England I studied fine art but I always found it difficult to stick to just painting. I loved to work with textiles and collage and I experimented in many different mediums. This experience was useful when I taught art for several years at an English Comprehensive School. I was an enthusiastic teacher but I eventually got tired of the class comedian trying to lock me in the supply cupboard!

My husband and I decided to travel and eventually came to America. I designed hats and painted while he restored antiques and designed furniture, in our studio building in Venice. Our three children grew up playing with hat trims, paints and antiques in the workshop, and of course reading picture books.

In 2001 I took a children’ book illustration course at Otis College of Art and Design, where I began writing and illustrating my own stories. Now I enjoy writing as much as I do making art for children.

I hope you enjoy looking at my work and will come back again soon.

My children’s characters are very naughty. They tend to misbehave when they think no one is watching them!