Kate Collins – a walk in lyme park

I brought up three children, and trained as a nurse. My subjects are children, people, animals, and anything which inspires me.

Being self-taught, I started painting as a child. Some of my first paintings were printed by Medici for their greetings cards in the 1970’s. I paint mainly oils but have also created work in watercolours, egg tempera, and acrylic.

I began selling at a small gallery in Preston specialising in Naïve Art. It was there when I had my first solo exhibition, which was televised, on “North at Six”, set-up by the artist the late Helen Bradley, who gave me great encouragement.

Solo exhibitions in the past have been in Preston, Manchester, Tib Lane Gallery, Stockport Art Gallery, Howarth Art Gallery Accrington and Liverpool Medici Gallery, plus I have exhibited several works in London with the British Egg Tempera Society At the Leighton Art Gallery, of which I was a member.

My paintings have also been in mixed shows, Stockport Open, Buxton Open, Howarth Art Gallery, Society of Saddleworth Artists , Tib Lane Gallery Manchester and the Crypt Art Gallery St Ives.

I won prizes at the G Mex Great British Art Show Manchester, and Buxton Open Exhibition.

I have been a member of the Association of British Naïve Artists for several years. They regularly hold exhibitions in St Ives Cornwall, and my work is in the Little Picture Gallery in Mousehole Cornwall.

I also paint on ceramics and fire it in my own kiln using lustres and gold.

I have been painting on ceramics for the last 20 years and have sold successfully. My latest works are industrial landscape and fairground subjects on vases and bowls.

I first started painting fairy lustre landscapes. My inspiration taken from Daisy Maikeig- Jones who designed the famous Wedgewood Fairyland Lustres in the 1930’s. I wanted to produce something similar because I admire it so much.