to harpenden with love
Preserving the amazing character of our town.
‘The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away.”
Pablo Picasso
Harpenden, Hertfordshire has been my base for almost 20 years. I began my photographic journey 10 years ago and collaborated with the locals to showcase some of the unique character of our town. Creative works I’ve completed include Harpenden Doors (2015), Harpenden Shoes (2016), Harpenden Dogs and Harpenden Reds (2018), Harpenden Letters (2019), #FURCOATNOKNICKERS (2019), Harpenden Characters (2020/21) and, most recently, Christmas Doors 2023. You can view these at my home studio by appointment, or scroll down to view them.
#CHRISTMASDOORS 2023
Prices start at £60 for an A4 print.
christmas cards
Another version of Christmas Doors is a festive card, available as a Christmas card or a postcard. If you would like to personalise it and include your front door or business frontage, please get in touch.
#harpendencharacters 2020-22
My 2020/21 project set out to capture Harpenden Characters and their stories: people who live in Harpenden and are full of character i.e. the quality of being individual in an interesting or unusual way. (Aren’t we all characters?) I received nominations from the Harpenden through the lens Facebook group, suggestions from people I have spoken to and received some ideas from the council. These lovely humans are the true heart of our town and their stories need to be remembered. It is an amazing project and I’ve met some exceptional people.
The 18 portraits were exhibited at the Eric Morecambe Centre in Harpenden for the first four months of 2022. Many thanks to Jo Ditch, Manager of the EMC; Ken Whittaker, Whittaker & Co; and Sarah Sharp, A&K Wilson Picture Framers for your generous support to help make this happen. The framed portrait of Joan Bartholomew still hangs alongside her husband Eric Morecambe.
#furcoatnoknickers 2019
In 2019, eleven Harpenden women of substance took a cheeky stand against being stereotyped as #furcoatsnoknickers. Read the story here.
#harpendenletters 2019
Inspired by Camden Market, I photographed some of the little details of Harpenden to make up its name. Try and get your visitors to guess where each of the letters was photographed! This artwork can only be purchased framed as it is a non-standard landscape format. POA.
Letters of iconic and special landmarks and places in Harpenden which make up the town’s name.
#HarpendenDogs
2018
On the day I met Hagrid, the huge gentle giant (pictured centre), I was inspired to create a collection of photographs featuring the dogs of Harpenden. Dogs have a way of finding people who need them and during this project, I learned how hard dogs try to understand what you want them to do, and watched the fascinating relationships between dogs and their owners.
My original idea was to photograph each dog separately and line them up from Hagrid (big) to Dash (small), but when I tried this in practice, I wasn’t happy with the end result. It has taken me two years to finalise this project! I love seeing the dogs up close (Hagrid’s eyes are in there somewhere) because they are so expressive: their body language and eyes speak volumes. I am so grateful for the amazing support from the local residents, I decided to include the names of all the volunteers in the final project.
Prices start at £50 for an 8 x 10 inch print.
#HarpendenReds 2018
I can’t help but smile when I look at this flaming collection of colour. I’ve always had a soft spot for redheads and Harpenden is filled with these bright, adventurous souls. There are so many shades of reds too. I loved this project. It was an honour to meet and photograph these wonderful characters and I’m most grateful they participated in this crazy artwork!
Prices start at £50 for an 8 x 10 inch print.
#HarpendenShoes 2017
Harpenden Shoes is a photographic art work of a collection of resident’s shoes on their owner’s feet to celebrate the beauty and diversity of this key fashion accessory; about 37 shoe lovers signed up their feet and shoes.
During the shoots, I saw strangers converted to friends in minutes; and quiet people light up my studio with personality. This project was not about photographs of shoes, which is how it started, it became about paying homage to shoes and showing how they bring confidence, meaning, and even change to our lives.
Prices start at £60 for an A4 print.
#HarpendenDoors 2016
I’ve always admired beautiful doorways, and I’m sure a front door does say a little about the people who live there.
In the summer of 2015, I started a personal project to photograph the doorways of Harpenden that caught my attention. They didn’t have to be fancy or perfectly kept; just interesting.
Prices start at £60 for an A4 print.