I was born in Sittingbourne, Kent, England on 5th January 1955 and have lived here ever since.

My given Christian name is Jackie, but everyone has always called me Jak.

Although I have no formal training in the arts, my lifelong love of colour, texture and especially design have always kept the creative juices flowing - in fact there are always far too many new projects to start than there is time!  I am never happier than working in my studio (although working in my garden comes a very close second) and the thrill of a new project can sometimes see me working well into the night.

I have always coveted handmade items and my home is full of them.  Not only my own, but other artists too.  I can't resist art & craft fairs, antique fairs, even boot fairs and sometimes the humble junk shop can come up with some beautiful finds.  Everywhere I go, home or abroad, I like to seek out craftspeople at work and would much rather purchase goods from them than any amount of mass produced items.

I first got involved with Papier Mache about 10 years ago and it still amazes me now what can be achieved with a load of soggy newspaper.  Papier Mache is a very old art form that has certainly stood the test of time.  When used in pulp form it is as pliable as clay, almost as tough as concrete, but still lightweight and strong and, if properly sealed, will last a lifetime.

In my opinion this is true "wall sculpture", not just a few squiggles of paint on canvas.  So many effects can be created just by altering the "receipe" slightly, i.e.  adding less/more water or drying quickly in the sun/leaving to dry naturally, even using different papers or a combination of all the above can create a different texture every time.

As an artist, this method of artwork also satisfies my soul because of its greeness.  What could be a better way to recycle than turning landfill into art! 

I mainly use The Daily Telegraph, not only is it good read, but it is made of good quality paper which I use both for the strip method of papier mache and for making pulp.  I also use corrugated cardboard, cardboard inner tubes, tissue, kitchen roll and even junk mail.

I'm currently experimenting by adding cement to the paper pulp so I can produce outdoor sculptures.  I am a very keen gardener and find that affordable sculpture is just not available in this country.  Again, it is either mass produced and therefore of inferior quality,  very expensive and therefore out of most people's reach, or it is just too twee!