Avis has a complete fascination with paint and a genuine interest in exploring it. She sees the beauty of the line, a connection, be it intense, smudged, expressive, bold or subtle

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When backpacking around South America on her own for two years, she found Carmen, the art teacher. Carmen’s advice was to either paint or stop yearning. Avis had long daily visits for painting and communal ‘matte’ drinking - and learnt about oil painting Patagonian style

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Working with artists and attending courses, Avis learned from some generous artists from different cultures including Easter Island, Cuba, Spain, Scotland, Ireland, USA, the Galapagos Islands, as well as from UK artists in Cornwall, London and Sussex. She is mostly self-educated

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Initially drawn to abstract oil painting, Avis has latterly begun to enjoy drawing and painting human observation in cartoon style mixed media, painted onto reclaimed wooden panels. The light-hearted subject matter emphasises the intense beauty and sensuality of paint. Avis also makes ‘Grandmother Clocks with Attitude’ from reclaimed wood

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Art has no language barriers and exploring this expressive paint vocabulary is of life-long interest for Avis. She works on how to describe in paint: strong, warm, fragile, brittle or quiet, to incorporate the sensation of being

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Avis is interested in creating a dialogue with the raw, rebellious and imperfect, as imperfection is always more interesting. She aims to create an oddness to echo what lies within each of us, and the wider world. And to add humour, as life is sometimes truly ridiculous and strange

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Avis works from Studio 106 in Hove, a collective of 20 artists. Given her love of creating interesting work and incorporating personality into her art, she welcomes commissions and the opportunity to personalise work for her clients