Hello, I’m Jo
I am an artist, writer and observer of the natural world.
As a child, I was drawn to birds, plants, maps, stories of distant places and the adventure of discovery. Over time, especially having the opportunity to home-educate my children, those interests matured into a fascination with natural history, travel writing, explorer journals and ways in which we can deepen our understanding of place.
Today my work sits at the intersection of painting, observation and storytelling.
Working primarily in watercolour, I create studies of plants, birds, landscapes and imagined journeys inspired by literature, history and the rich diversity of cultures and environments around the world.
As an expatriate, I have become increasingly interested in themes of belonging and identity.
Much of my writing and artwork explores what it means to be both rooted and restless; to feel at home in my environment while remaining curious about what lies beyond.
This website serves as a journal of those explorations.
Here you will find paintings, essays, sketches, reading notes and collections that reflect my love of beauty, curiosity and discovery.
Thank you for visiting.
I hope you find something here that inspires you to look more closely at the world around you.
An excerpt from my favourite poem by Longfellow.
The Fiftieth Birthday of Agassiz.
And Nature, the old nurse, took
The child upon her knee,
Saying, “Here is a story-book
Thy Father has written for thee.”
‘Come, wander with me,” she said,
‘Into regions yet untrod;
And read what is still unread
In the manuscripts of God.”
And he wandered away and away
With Nature, the dear old nurse,
Who sang to him night and day
The rhymes of the universe
And whenever the way seemed long,
Or his heart began to fail,
She would sing a more wonderful song,
Or tell a more marvellous tale.
