About the Artist

Between the Wye and the Severn, where mist clings to branches like old promises, I grew up in the Forest of Dean — not beside it, but within it. I’ve lived my whole life tucked among these ancient trees, in a crooked cottage where the kettle never quite cools, the animals plot their own rebellions, and the forest presses close like a neighbour with secrets to share. Foxes slip down my track as if it were theirs. The owls have long since accepted me as part of the night’s furniture. This landscape shaped me long before I ever put pastel to paper.
 
I’ve never been the sort who sits still. I’m stitched from restless threads — a bit odd, a bit feral, always wandering off because a rustle in the bracken asked a question I needed to answer. My smallholding is a muddle of muddy boots, half‑finished ideas, and creatures with more personality than sense, all bound together by a lifelong devotion to the wild.
 
Art found me the way the woodland does — quietly, then all at once. A fox stepped forward, then a hare, then a badger with dusk caught in its eyes. They didn’t arrive as subjects, but as guides: reminders of the wild soul we misplace when the world grows too loud.
 
Every creature I draw carries a piece of this place — the breath of moss after rain, the iron‑rich soil, the echo of hooves from long‑gone hunts, the hush of paths that only reveal themselves to those who listen.
 
As a Forest of Dean wildlife artist, my work is rooted in British wildlife, woodland folklore, and the ancient stories held in the land. The Woodland Realm isn’t something I invented — it’s the quiet magic that rises when you pay attention. Through my pastel wildlife drawings, I honour the creatures who move through these woods with purpose, and the forest that remembers every footstep, including mine.
 
Step softly. You’re not just meeting my art. You’re meeting the life that made it.

About My Art — Pastel Wildlife Drawings Inspired by British Folklore

I work mostly in pastels and charcoal — soft, vibrant, and delightfully messy (my sleeves will agree). I began with graphite and coloured pencils, but pastels called louder. Their texture suits fur, feathers, and forest light, making them perfect for capturing the depth and softness of British wildlife.
My artwork blends: 

Each piece is both a portrait and a story — a creature anchored in ecology, mythology, and the emotional truth of the wild.

The Studio — A Woodland Cabin for Art & Teaching

It began with a cream carpet and a trail of pigment. The living room didn’t stand a chance. I was gently exiled to the garage, which became a studio, which became a log cabin tucked beside the trees.
Now it’s a dedicated art space where I:

This cabin is where the Woodland Realm takes shape — one creature, one story, one pastel‑dust cloud at a time.

View from Coughton Corner near my home.

Tools of the trade

How the Real Forest Becomes the Realm

Every creature I draw begins as a real animal — a fox pausing on a path, a deer lifting its head from the bracken, an owl turning silently in the dusk. But as I sketch, something shifts. The animal becomes a symbol, a guardian, a keeper of something older than itself.
The Forest of Dean gives me: 

These elements become the foundation of the Woodland Realm’s cosmology. The Realm is not invented — it is revealed through the forest.

The Creative Rituals Behind the Realm

My process is quiet and ritualistic. I begin with a walk, letting the forest set the tone for the day. I gather impressions — a twist of root, a feather caught on a thorn, the way the light falls through the canopy. These become the emotional palette for the artwork.
When I sit down to draw: 

This is why each guardian feels alive — because they arrive fully formed, carrying their own history.

Mossy tree stump

Pastel pencils

Why I Create the Woodland Realm

The Realm is my way of honouring the forest that raised me. It is a love letter to British wildlife, to folklore, to the quiet magic of the natural world. It is also a refuge — a place where people can step out of the noise of modern life and into something slower, older, and more meaningful.

I want my art to feel like: 

If the Woodland Realm feels real to you, it’s because it feels real to me.

How to Explore the Realm

The Woodland Realm is wide, and every path leads deeper:

Where you wander first is entirely up to you. The forest has many paths