Biography
Sylvia was born in 1956, and has lived most of her life in East Anglia. Many of her paintings are inspired by its landscape and coastal regions. She attended Colchester School of Art and Hockerill College of Education where she studied painting as a main subject. After a spell of teaching in schools and enjoying her two young sons she decided to concentrate on painting. Since 1988 she has been painting professionally and has had numerous solo and mixed exhibitions. Sylvia's paintings are regularly exhibited at prestigious galleries in East Anglia, London and further afield. Her work has been selected for exhibition at the Mall Galleries on several occasions, including the Pastel Society, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and the Laing Landscape Exhibition. Her maritime paintings are particularly popular at the Thompson Gallery, Aldeburgh, Suffolk. Sylvia was elected to the East Anglia Group of Marine Artists in 2003, exhibiting with them two or three times per year. For a number of years Sylvia has demonstrated her expressive and colourful paintings to art clubs and societies. She also runs short painting courses and workshops throughout the year. Students particularly enjoy her inspirational demonstrations and friendly teaching manner. The Artist magazine has published two article’s by Sylvia on her unique painting techniques. In 2002 Allan & Bertram included one of Sylvia's landscapes in their Fine Art Calendar. Gadbrook Press also used a still life painting for a fine art card. Open edition prints are available from www.blinkred.com. In May 2004 and again in June 2005, Sylvia was artist in residence at Burton Agnes Hall, a stately home in Yorkshire, and produced a number of works inspired by the interior and gardens. Sylvia was invited by Wordwrite Associates to lead a painting holiday in The French Alps in 2005. In 2006 she also led a weekend workshop at Chateau Ribagnac made famous by the Channel 4 programme "No Going Back". During the painting weekend the film crew were back filming for a follow up programe to be screened in 2006. Sylvia's painting of the Chateau is available as a limited edition print. Norwich Union have purchased two of Sylvia's mixed media collages for their head office in Fenchurch Street. Recent Solo Exhibitions The Haste Gallery, Ipswich - 1996, 2000, 2001 Old Fire Engine House, Ely - 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005 Snape Maltings, Suffolk - 1998, 1999, 2000 Digby Gallery, Colchester - 2004 Artist in Residence, Burton Agnes Hall, Yorkshire, May 2004 ,2005 Open Studio September 2003, 2004, 2005 Shakespeare House, The Garden Gallery, Dedham 2005 Open Exhibitions The Pastel Society - 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999 Society of Women Artists - 1991, 1992, 1993 Laing Landscape Exhibition - 1998, 1999 Royal Institute of Oil Painters - 1999