About Penny

”From a very early age I painted flowers, it was a subject that fascinated me. The perfect symmetry of plants, their organic changes, the way they develop, open up and even change colour – everything about them stayed with me.

Even when I was at art college, which I attended when I worked as a journalist and where we tried lots of different styles, I seemed to gravitate back to Botanical painting. But, despite loving the subject, it didn’t become my full-time job until a few years ago.

This coincided with moving from the hustle of south London, with my lovely husband and equally amazing son, to leafy Sussex. It was a juggling act at first – I was a freelance journalist travelling up to town had a toddler, and wasn’t as young as I’d liked, so finding the time and energy to paint was tricky. But, once I stopped commuting and finished my Diploma with the Society of Botanical Artists, I was able to start exhibiting and teaching, the success of which meant I could concentrate on the subject full time.

Fast forward a few years and I’m now a teacher of regular courses and workshops around the country. I feel so incredibly lucky to have reached this point where I can share my love of Botanical painting in all its amazing forms.

My aim is to encourage people to dust off their sketchbooks, or even pick up a paintbrush for the first time, and take a look at the natural environment around us. There’s so much to enjoy, with lots of surprises as well as new skills to learn. One of the most amazing things about this journey though, is the way the world can disappear while I’m painting, and I can lose myself in the moment.

To me, Botanical painting always felt a bit of an unsustainable pipe dream, and something I would do some day in the future, but as a lovely friend often says: ‘If not now, when?’ ”

Penny lives with her husband and son in Sussex where she paints landscapes, teaches Botanical painting, and draws inspiration from the South coast.