A woman with reddish-brown hair, wearing a pink and black polka dot dress, stands in a green outdoor garden setting. She has a tattoo on her upper arm and holds a bag . The image includes text that reads 'Artist and Illustrator FOREST OF VIOLETS' and features decorative graphics.

Theresa is an artist and picture book creator from Sway in the New Forest. She is a keen environmentalist and has been known to wave down a lawnmower or two in the vain hope that the beautiful wild areas will be left untouched. Her love of the English countryside has lead to her realistic style of art of the animals and local towns and villages, which she paints on canvas with acrylic paint.

She graduated with an HNC and HND in illustration at the Bournemouth arts Institute in 1999 when she started designing greetings cards and fell in love with the art of picture book making.

Her first entry into a competition held at Buckler’s hard last year, won first place. It is now displayed in the maritime museum and is owned by Lord and lady Montagu of Beaulieu. She is continuing to paint more local scenes and hopes to have her own solo exhibition one day.

Theresa has set up sketchbook and picture book clubs and hopes to include plein air painting sessions as well.

Her printed items and handmade soaps have been sold across Hampshire and Dorset from the New Forest wildlife Park and Longdown dairy farm in Ashurst to the Fox in the Forest in Ringwood. You can find her items in her Etsy shop.

She is studying with The good ship Illustration and having tutorials with author Mariesa Dulak and illustrator Katie Harnett of Orange beak studios.

Exhibitions and Awards

Bucklers hard Exhibition 2024 March -November
Winner of the Montagu award 2024

Red House museum Exhibition 2025 Oct -Dec

Forest Arts Exhibition 2025 Nov -Jan 2026

Notable collections

Theresa’s painting of Buckler’s hard, entitled ‘Family Time,’ is now in the Montagu’s private collection. It hangs in the maritime museum on the Buckler’s hard site.