“Everything has beauty if you look close enough, even slime mould”

Hi I’m Amy!

Here’s a bit about my art:

Inspired by the South Downs landscapes and the intricate patterns found in bark, fungi, shells, flowers and rock formations, I create one-of-a-kind drawings that celebrate the individuality of the natural world. Preferring not to produce prints, I treat every artwork as a unique singular object, echoing the fact that nothing in nature is ever exactly repeated.

WHY I DRAW THIS WAY

Its my art therapy! The repetitive drawing motion is immersive, like meditation, I find it calming, almost hypnotic.  It helps quiet my overthinking mind and is the perfect antidote for the stresses in life.

I often listen to music when I draw, it sets the rhythm, allowing my mind time to wander, shapes to form organically and colours to be chosen intuitively. Unplanned colour combinations often take me by surprise, offering unexpected results.

HOW I STARTED

In 2019 I discovered the work of Ernst Haeckel by chance after finding a selection of his prints in a second hand shop (this was long before they were popular and sold everywhere). I thought his detailed illustrations of the natural world were incredibly beautiful (thats when I discovered the beauty of slime mould).  This ignited my curiosity into looking at the natural world close up.

This took me on a deep dive into the world of plant cell micrographs and I was hooked. I felt an immediate connection and became fascinated by the complex and intricate patterns in nature. to the shapes and patterns and the colours used were so uplifting. I was excited to find something so beautiful hidden beneath the surface in the natural world unseen by the naked eye.

I started to draw shapes, patterns and forms influenced by what I had seen and from my imagination always using rounded shapes.

I soon began to see things differently in my natural environment, noticing patterns and shapes on walks in forests, beaches and heathland, even in my own garden. I’m surrounded by valuable sources of inspiration that include, lichen and moss, shells, water and shapes on the shoreline, flowers and trees, tree lines, hills, landscapes and rock formations.   I now see patterns everywhere! All my drawings are influenced by these patterns, shapes and colours.

MY PROCESS

My drawing style has developed over time, learning what works and what doesn’t and allowing my natural instinct to determine the outcome.

Every time I draw it’s about letting the inspiration and feelings come through as I’m drawing, never knowing exactly what will be created. I prefer to draw intuitively. Sometimes I have a rough plan, knowing I will draw a representation of a landscape I have seen or in response to looking at the flowers or tree bark on a walk. Or perhaps it will be a desire to use a colour theme, so I select a limited range of colours but plan nothing more.

My drawings are in permanent, water & fade proof fine line pens, alcohol markers and paint markers on smooth Bristol Board or canvas.

WHAT IM EXPERIMENTING WITH NOW

Until recently Ive always used fine line pens and alcohol markers to produce detailed intricate pieces, using thousands of small circles, that take many hours to complete with the largest piece being A2. I have always loved the idea of upscaling in size and I’m now enjoying experimenting with paint markers on canvas with a vision of creating a large scale collection. Paint markers are perfect for their opacity and the wide colour range.  

RECOGNITION

I have been Longlisted for the Artist of The Year Award 2026 in partnership with The Visual Arts Association. A selection of my drawings have been featured in the May 2025 edition of ‘Artist Close Up’ contemporary art magazine and LongListed for the VAA Open 2025 and Shortlisted for the VAA Art500 INTERNATIONAL 2025. My Rock Pools drawing featured at ‘The Women in Art’ exhibition at The Aspex Gallery in Portsmouth 2024.

THE FUTURE

I’m concentrating on building my collection for private sales and would like to partner with a gallery to exhibit a collection of my landscapes in the near future. I’m excited about experimenting with different mediums and producing large scale statement pieces and will be exhibiting a single landscape at the Petersfield Arts & Crafts Society Summer Exhibition.

I have ideas about partnering with a science body to photograph plants and other natural resources at a microscopic level to then replicate them in large scale drawings. I would also like to explore the sound frequency of plants and do a collection on the sound waves emitted by plants. I find my ideas and the style of my drawings often overlap with the world of science which I find interesting.

To see how my drawings have developed over time you can visit my Instagram account where I have shared some of my art since I first started in 2019. Find it here @circlesdotslinesdesigns (I don’t always post regularly as I’m busy drawing)!

…and a bit about me

My first love was nature! I was born in The New Forest, Hampshire (UK) and spent my early years climbing trees, examining bugs close-up and exploring the ancient forest through the gate at the end of my garden or beach combing for shells at local sea shores.

My second great love was drawing, my childhood neighbour and family friend was a successful illustrator and I was in awe of his ability to recreate the world around us. This was my first introduction to alcohol markers!

After working and living in London and backpacking to faraway places I went full circle and moved back to Hampshire with my own family. I am a sensitive curious person who is deeply connected to nature and I love to discover new things in the natural world throughout the year.

If you have any questions or would like to collaborate please get in touch, I’d love to hear from you.