Biography

I am an independent artist working from a studio base in Lancashire, England. Originating from Kingston upon Thames in Surrey, I studied Fine Art (Sculpture) at The University of Newcastle upon Tyne and at Reading University. I have had a long- standing academic career spending 22 years teaching Fine Art at 3 Universities: Lancaster, Sheffield Hallam and latterly, Salford, where I was programme leader for the BA in Visual Art and for the MA in Contemporary Fine Art. I gave up my permanent teaching post in September 2008 to focus on my own art production full time.

I acquired and refurbished a small Victorian mill in Littleborough on the outskirts of Manchester and in 2010 established Ebor Studio and Academy which comprises; group studios, gallery, a teaching programme, workshops, and artists’ resource.

Scholarly work continues to influence my practical production creatively. Currently my research is centred on the role of morphology as an aspect of feminist aesthetic with particular emphasis on the body, form and formlessness and the importance of haptic processes in my own creative production.

I live in Littleborough with my husband Paul Haywood who is an artist and Professor of Fine Art at Middlesex University, and our three children: Martha Lyons who is a sculptor (BA Hons. ECA), Hesther who is studying Fashion Design at Salford University and Ivon who is studying Furniture Design and Make at Rycotewood Centre Oxford. ’.