Petra is drawn to Cornwall and West Cork, fascinated by the geology and seascape in both locations; "I love how the sea shapes the rocks and how the rocks in turn are a fascinating record of the earth's history."

I originally trained as an architect then interior designer before moving to Ireland to work with Zimbabwean wood carvers who sculpted in bog oak. The studio we worked for produced religious sculptures for churches, convents and monasteries. Inspired to explore sculpture in a wider context, I took a fine art degree at Bretton Hall in Yorkshire specialising in large scale metal sculpture and painting. When I finished Art College, I trained as a milliner, winning several awards until a compulsion to write the novel I'd been planning for years led me to a PhD in Creative Writing. Since graduating, I have continued to write and my short stories have been published and highly placed for several literary prizes. I am currently working on a new novel.

Throughout my life painting has remained a constant. Recently, I've been experimenting with abstract landscape painting, exploring ways to represent God's amazing work on earth. After a thirty year sojourn in France, I am now based in Northwest England. I am drawn to Cornwall and West Cork, fascinated by the geology and seascape in both locations. I love how the sea shapes the rocks and how the rocks in turn are a fascinating record of the earth's history. I am also inspired by the lunar landscapes in the Burren, West Clare. My work attempts to capture the awe I feel in the landscape. My eventual aim, like Rothko, a painter I deeply admire, is to evoke in the viewer a deeply spiritual experience rather than a formal appreciation of my paintings.

INSTAGRAM: sgtpetraslonelyartsclubband