My work doesn't aim to describe a place or object as it appears, but rather how it feels-how it shifts in the memory or the senses. Through colour, mark, and gesture, I'm looking to create something that resonates on an intuitive level, a kind of emotional mapping that sits somewhere between abstraction and experience.
Vanessa was born in 1960 and is based in Manchester, where she works full-time from her studio. She studied Fine Art at Liverpool School of Art & Design, graduating with First Class Honours, before completing a Master's degree with Distinction at the Royal College of Art in London. While at the RCA, she was awarded the Darwin Scholarship, and in 2016 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) in recognition of her contributions to the visual arts.
Before dedicating herself fully to her studio practice, Vanessa held senior academic roles at both Manchester School of Art and Liverpool John Moores University, where she taught Fine Art and mentored emerging artists. Her practice extends beyond painting to include moving image and installation. Her short film Business, a hand-drawn animation, won the Best Newcomer prize at the Stuttgart Animation Festival, and her work has been screened and exhibited at film festivals and exhibitions internationally, including in the UK, Europe, Asia, and North America.
Vanessa's paintings have been shown widely across the UK, including at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, the Royal Scottish Academy, the Royal Society of British Artists, the Society of Women Artists, and FACT Liverpool. Her work is held in private and corporate collections in Britain and internationally.