Born in Hull in 1969, Jo trained at Winchester School of Art and Kingston University where she obtained an MA in Applied Fine Art. Jo now lives and works in Surrey, running art classes from her studio near Woking.
Jo’s inspiration comes from life itself, and enjoys painting wildlife and people most. Jo’s recent work focuses primarily on people in an urban environment, taking advantage of living so close to a big city she takes frequent trips to London where she is able to observe and photograph people going about their daily lives. Some of Jo’s favourite places include popular tourist attractions such as The South Bank, Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden or anywhere where people congregate, as a result her paintings have become increasingly busy.
Influence by artists such as Pissarro, Hopper and Lowry, Jo’s work is ambitious in both scale and complexity encouraging the viewer to take a closer look and get involved in the many characters and the stories they tell. Jo works in a variety of media but particularly enjoys acrylic for its speed and flexibility.
Jo exhibits both locally and in London and has sold work in this country and abroad. She has been fortunate to have won several prizes and has in recent years been shortlisted for several major prizes including BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year (2011), Surrey Artist of the Year (2011), and Artist and Illustrators artist of the Year (2013).
