I have been involved in many exciting and interesting art projects, and my driving momentum is the exploration of fragility and hope. I was very excited to win the commission to paint six artworks (three of which are below) which would visually express the qualities of past and future Paralympic athletes for the Paralympic Games Handover and 60th Anniversary Celebrations Day at Stoke Mandeville Stadium last Wednesday, 17 Sept 2008.



I have lived with disability for most of my life, but rather than it being a hindrance, it has, I believe, given me a heightened sense of perhaps what it is to be human, to live every day, and continually reach out for new challenges and adventures.

Earlier this year I had the wonderful opportunity to work on a collaborative arts and sports project with Andy Blake (Swimming and Wheelchair Basketball Paralympian), and I gained an insight into the extraordinary qualities an individual must have to become a world class athlete.




More important, Andy and I understood very quickly that despite our disciplines being at different ends of the spectrum we share a universal language, where inspiration, determination, participation and equality are paramount to our motivation.



I was overjoyed to witness on TV the incredible achievement of Andy Blake with the Wheelchair Basketball team winning the bronze medal in Beijing, and when I saw my artwork in the Stoke Mandeville stadium I was thrilled again: I too had played a part in the celebration.