Hi - I’m Antonia and I’m an artist and a writer.
I love to paint things that bring me joy - sometimes expressionist still life, sometimes semi-abstract land or seascapes, inspired by the beautiful coastline where I live. At other times, my work is purely abstract and non-figurative. My paintings aim to echo how I experience the world. They are always driven by a love of colour.
Art has been a lifelong passion. One of my most vivid childhood memories is of sitting with my great-grandfather in his garden art studio. He would give me pencils and paper and I would sit and draw while he worked. I can still remember the smell of the paint and a sense of tremendous calm. As a child, I thought it would be wonderful to be an artist.
Growing up, life took me in other directions. First I studied Medicine, then Psychology. I lived and worked in Italy for five years, learning the language and loving the culture. I became a teacher and then a teacher trainer. For the last twenty years I’ve enjoyed a successful career as a full-time, award-winning writer and international conference speaker. I’ve written over 20 books on language, learning and creativity and I’m working on a novel. My time has been spent constantly rushing to meet writing deadlines and travelling to talk at conferences, at the same time as bringing up a family. Art had to sit on the sidelines.
Now, I’m shifting the balance. I have taken on a studio in North Norfolk in order to be able to devote more time to my art. My recent paintings have been shortlisted for the Sir John Hurt Art Prize and selected for the Institute of East Anglian Artists open exhibition. These are exciting times. What you see here is just the beginning.
