My Story

I’m Madeleine — or Madi to most people — and I paint from a small studio at the end of my garden in Surrey. It’s a quiet space (unless my dog is chasing squirrels in the garden!), tucked beneath the trees and full of sunlight on blue sky days. It’s here that I try to capture the feeling you get when you stand somewhere that lets you breathe a little deeper.

My love of creativity began years ago, and after school I studied textile art at Winchester School of Art. But like many of us, my path took a different turn and I spent nearly twenty years working in communications, building a career I’m proud of. Then I became a parent, and life shifted again — in wonderful, disorientating, perspective-changing ways.

It wasn’t until the Covid-19 lockdowns that I found myself reaching for creativity again. On Sunday evenings, I’d join the online Surrey Art School Sketchbook Club. It started as a small ritual — a way to carve out time for myself — but it sparked something I hadn’t realised I’d missed. Those quiet moments with a sketchbook became a doorway back to painting.

What surprised me was how painting made me feel. It steadied my mind and filled me with energy at the same time — like the perfect balance I didn’t know I needed. Little by little, that Sunday ritual grew into a regular practice, and eventually into the studio I now work from every day.

Much of my inspiration comes from being outdoors. Sometimes it’s the everyday — a dog walk through woodland, the way the evening light hits the clouds. Sometimes it’s the bigger landscapes that stay with you long after you’ve left: mountain ranges from ski trips, wide-open skies on summer holidays, wildflowers brushing your legs on a hillside. These are the places that make me feel connected, grounded and full of possibility — and they’re the moments I try to translate into paint.

I work mainly in acrylics, often painting from memory or the feeling of a place rather than a direct reference. My style leans toward expressionism, with texture, colour and intuition guiding the way. I love experimenting as I paint — letting the process unfold, embracing the unexpected and finding that sweet spot where a landscape feels both familiar and full of life.

If my work connects with you, then I’m glad. That’s what I hope for most — that something in these landscapes speaks to your own experiences of nature, adventure, calm or escape. Because in the end, that shared spark is why I paint.

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