Meet our artists, makers and creatives

We proudly present to you our artists, makers and creatives. They are the life blood of Shoreline, exhibiting, selling and teaching in Westgate Galleria and The Eclectic Art Gallery, Margate, and some participate in Margate Made’s pop-up events too. They are a diverse group, working in a very wide range of disciplines and mediums, but all share a passion for their art and a commitment to creating high quality, well-made, artisan products that will give much pleasure to their new owners.

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Aaron Reeves

Aaron Reeves

Hello, my name is Aaron Reeves and I am a local artist. I worked in the film and TV industry in London for six years, then my wife and I decided to move down to the Kent coast. Change of career and I am now an art teacher in Whitstable. Having always enjoyed focussing on natural forms and landscapes in my artwork I find the coast has so much to offer. Recently I have been experimenting with digital arts. Liking the clean-cut lines and block colours, which I use to make the landscape pop an...

Abby Pilkington

Abby Pilkington

I am a jewellery designer-maker, handcrafting genuine gemstone and sterling silvery jewellery. Each piece I make is a one-off design, and never repeated. I am passionate about creating one-off designs. Using sustainable, eco friendly, genuine and ethically sourced materials. My vision is for every customer to have something unique to them, and to enjoy wearing the beauty found in nature. I studied Fashion and Jewellery Design at the London College of Fashion. Then obtained further quali...

Alice Hewitt

Alice Hewitt

Alice Hewitt is a Margate-based sculptor and miniaturist specialising in tiny food. She takes her inspiriation from food photography. Also the food grown in her family allotment, that brings such joy to her dinner table. Thoroughly believing that you can have your cake and eat it too, Alice aims to bring the beauty on your plate to your every day jewellery. Each pair of earrings is handmade with polymer clay. Each pair is therefore unique and no two designs will ever come out identi...

Andrew Bateman

Andrew Bateman

I am an artist painting and creating based in Whitstable. I used to work for the NHS providing MRI scans to patients and also as a veterinary nurse for 4 years, but after being diagnosed with autism in 2019, I decided to change my life totally and do something I love. I find painting takes me off to another world. I work from my home, painting mainly in oils. I paint animals, but I also love painting in an expressionistic style too and have been working on some very personal pieces alon...

Ann Lloyd

Hello. My name is Ann, I’m 45 and I live in Margate with my family. I enjoy creating objects in ceramics, drawing and multi-media work. A lot of my pieces relate to memory and family. I graduated from Canterbury Christ Church University in 2012 with a BA in Fine & Applied Art. I particularly enjoyed learning ceramics. For my final degree show I studied the ideas of memory in objects, and the precious nature, fragility and unreliability of our memory - which lent itself to working in fi...

Ann Palmer

Ann Palmer

Ann has lived in Rochester, Kent, UK for 30 years. She spent 40 years working in the NHS as a Public Health doctor and began drawing and painting in 2007. Ann still draws mainly townscapes and sketches in preparation for her paintings. She works in oils principally land, sky and seascapes, often working directly out doors in front of the scene. Recently her work has developed to become larger, more abstract and expressionistic. Ann’s paintings are now often developed in the studio from her ex...

Anne-Marie Rymill

Anne-Marie Rymill

Anne-Marie Rymill is a professional Margate-based fine art painter. Her home studio is located by the vibrant art-hub of Margate’s Old Town, a short walk to Turner Contemporary Gallery and Tracy Emin's studio and new art school. She is a member of the ‘Association of Animal Artists’ and her award-winning artwork is found in local galleries and in exhibitions and private collections both in the UK and internationally. She regularly donates artwork to support animal conservation and local chari...

Archie Archer

Archie Archer

Hi, I’m Archie lovely to say hello. I make greeting cards using sea glass that I find on the beaches in Kent. I live on a little boat in Sandwich with my dog Bolt. My range of cute sea glass cards started in the Summer of 2018 whilst walking my Labrador 'Bolt' on the sunny beaches in Margate. Like a magpie I began collecting sea glass. Today I forage my sea glass in picturesque Folkestone. The glass is more tumbled as the beaches are stony. This sea glass tumbling malarkey takes many years...

Benjamin Finch

Benjamin Finch

My name is Ben, I’m a Landscape photographer currently based in Ealing, London. My journey as a Landscape photographer began with travel, and I have been lucky enough to see some amazing sites like Machu Picchu in Peru and the Colosseum in Rome. It was seeing these incredible scenes that made me want to capture the moment from my own perspective so I could share with friends and family when I returned home. I’m always researching new locations that could have potential for landscape ...

Beverley Fisher

Beverley Fisher

Designer by day, Artist by night! I've been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember and have a passion for anything creative. Growing up in Canterbury I always knew I wanted to work in a creative field. I started my career as a textile designer and quickly moved to the greeting card industry where I now work as a Creative Director, a job I love. Studio life is fast paced with a constant flow of deadlines and an ever-expanding portfolio. Over the years I have spent less tim...

Bibi Y and Sofia Haq

Bibi Y and Sofia Haq

Sofia Haq was just six years old when she created the book Jungle Trouble - Rory's Rescue Plan. By the time she was nearly eight the book was professionally illustrated and published. Sofia's Mum, Bibi, said that Sofia got the idea for the story following a trip to Wingham Wildlife Park in Kent. She had seen a display of things that had been made of animal skins taken by poachers. Sofia, who is a great animal lover, was moved by what she saw and the explanation provided by her parents. ...

Caitlin Davies

I am Caitlin, a writer and maker in Broadstairs. I decoupage seashells and ceramic baubles with hand-painted tissue paper designs, sealed with non-toxic varnish. Each item stocked at Westgate Galleria is unique and inspired by Broadstairs' seven beautiful bays, with archive fish illustrations and Victorian landscapes. My creative journey Back in the early 1980's, I completed a Foundation in Fine Art in London. I then became a journalist, working as a human rights reporter in Botsw...

Carol M Creasey

Carol M Creasey

My name is Carol, and I am a Kent author. My first book published in 1993, was inspired by my son who was born with many difficulties including autism. Since then I have written 6 novels, and my autobiography CANDIDLY CAROL, which was published on 3rd April. I live with my partner Keith, cats Max and Mia, and dog Ben. I enjoy long walks, swimming, and playing badminton and tennis as well as my writing. I try to write something every day, it makes me feel complete as a person. I have been a...

Celine Libera

Celine Libera

Celine is a Margate based maker, who loves to work with glass. Lush green leaves in spring, fresh breeze, moving clouds over the sea...countless times I have been mesmerised by the simplest things in nature. It was after an introductory course to fused glass and a heavy day in the office, that I decided to capture those precious glimpses and memories in glass. Still now, after years have passed, the sea view coasters I made back then keep saving my day. I very much hope that my work can br...

Christina Diekmann

Christina Diekmann

I am a Birchington-based maker who loves working with paper. When I come across a piece of smooth, pristine paper, colourful or craft, I think about what kind of stars, wreaths or baubles I can create out of it. My inspiration comes from my German heritage and Christmas traditions. I especially love stars - what is better than a star especially when it comes to Christmas time. Creating something beautiful, traditional and timeless is my joy. I genuinely love learning and can't start qui...

Christine Kolinsky

Christine Kolinsky

Knitwear, knitwear and more knitwear. Based in Westgate-on-Sea, I produce beautifully designed knitwear with a difference. For most of my life I have been involved in the creative arts and I have City & Guilds certificates in embroidery and dressmaking along with NVQ certificates in sewing. My passion now is in creative knitwear that involves designing gloves, hats, knitted jewellery, designer handbags, novelty festive decorations etc. Not ordinary in any way, my gloves for example,...

Claudia Camilleri

Claudia Camilleri

West Kent vintage inspired and wartime influenced artist, author and illustrator. With much interest in history and details of World War 1 and World War 2, I delight in bringing together my vintage, military, aviation and Homefront greetings card collections. Produced from my own watercolour paintings I bring you my collectable range of unique, signed greetings cards. Each design having a feel of yesteryear.. I am a self-taught artist working in the mediums of watercolour, acrylics...

David Wadmore

David Wadmore

I am a letterpress printer, typographer and publications designer creating cards and designs with my iron press, built in 1831, and vintage wood type, ancient blocks and the occasional piece of lino. As everything is hand printed, no two items are the same, ensuring that every one of my cards and prints is unique. I ink, therefore I am!...

Deborah Gilbert

Deborah Gilbert

In 2015, Deborah Isabella Gilbert moved to Margate, in Kent, to fulfil a life long dream of living by the sea. Living here has captivated Deborah more than she could ever have imagined; the colours and tonal quality of the skies are constantly inspiring her. Deborah works mainly in acrylic paint, as it dries quickly, allowing her to build up light layers of glazes. A glaze is a single layer of paint that's thin enough to allow the colours beneath it to show through. Each new layer builds u...

Dee Newton

Dee Newton

I live in Birchington with my husband, two sons and two dogs. I just love to create beautiful things, be it watercolours, acrylics, hand-painted jewellery or vintage jewellery mosaics. Living here by our wonderful coastline inspires my artwork and I try to capture the iconic structures and coastline of Margate in a loose semi-abstract style....

Dee Nolan

Dee Nolan

Hi, I am Dee. I have a husband of 30+ years and a grown-up family who now have their own families! Despite moving away and working abroad, I have always found myself drawn back to the seaside towns of Thanet, it’s where I find my inspiration. Having done many different things to get by when raising our family, I am fortunate to now be at a stage where I can do what I love and that is sewing. I make and embroider a vast array of different things from gifts for children to home furnishing...

Emma Willow Cairn

Emma Willow Cairn

Hi, my name is Emma Willow Cairn and I am an artist and illustrator. I gained my BA degree at Goldsmiths College then worked at Hello Magazine as Assistant Picture Editor. I have had several solo exhibitions most recently being at Progressive Greetings Live at the Business Design Centre in Islington. If you wish to have an artwork memory of a celebration or a loved one then I can create you a personalised plaster casting. Simply contact Shoreline and provide me the inspiration of wha...

Eric Honzek

Eric Honzek

I left school at the age of sixteen. I then attended the Medway College of Design for three years. When I left in 1973 I had successfully completed a course in technical graphics and obtained a diploma as well as a City & Guilds qualification. Thereafter I worked for several companies, and on a self-employed basis for a while, providing illustration and camera-ready artwork for clients in the UK as well as abroad. In addition to this I have developed over the years an interest in prod...

Eve Stickler

Eve Stickler

Eve Stickler is an artist and maker living in Ramsgate. Predominantly a painter working in acrylic, and mixed media, she draws her inspiration from the places she visits, travelling when time allows. Her move to Ramsgate in 2017 has proved to act as a further influence on her work and she is exploring the streets and scenes of her new home town in her most recent paintings. Colour, and vibrancy are priorities within her work and she considers them to be vital to the success of the pieces a...

Gary Dadd

Gary Dadd

After years of exhibiting art, and serious illness, I became a full-time artist in 2021. Creating detailed portraits using the written word and fascinated by playing with ideas of seeing and of reading simultaneously. I have sold art across the globe. In the next twelve months I will be exhibiting in Margate, Cambridge and Los Angeles. Currently I am working on commissioned pieces and my next exhibition which is themes around cultural and scientific icons drawn on their own words. &...

Gem Blastock

Hi, I'm Gem Blastock, an artist based in Broadstairs, specialising in Pointillism and Screen Printing. Using my own abundance of illustrations as the foundation to my print work, I draw inspiration from my surroundings and our native coastline. Through my unique skill of dot drawing I create powerful realistic illustrations, reflecting my own story of growing up on the Thanet Coast in Kent. I also help raise awareness of our unique chalk coastline. I have always been creative, since I ...

Geraldine Alfeo

Geraldine Alfeo

I have loved to paint and draw from a very early age and since retiring from a long career in the NHS I have been able to devote more time to my passion. I work from my home in Birchington painting mostly in acrylic and sometimes using Free Flow paint to create a water colour effect. I like to use vibrant colours and will paint a variety of subjects as my mood and imagination takes me. I also enjoy sketching and life drawing. I paint on canvas or high-quality water colour paper and have...

Jan Cooper

Jan Cooper

Jan is an artist based in Sandwich, Kent, UK. She studied graphics at Canterbury Art College, then went on to creating handmade 3D greetings cards. This inspired her to move onto making jewellery, which she does with various textiles. She loves to use gold, velvet and mixing fabrics with textured and rigid materials. Jan’s passion for icons has led her to develop a range of brooches and cards featuring artist Frida Kahlo. Her personal and professional development has derived from her love of...

Jane Martin

Jane Martin

Hello, I’m Jane I design and make jewellery and am based in Birchington-on-Sea. I took up silversmithing on stepping back from working as a geologist. My love and fascination in rocks and fossils lead me into the world of gems and other natural stones and I wanted to create and share that in jewellery. I have developed my knowledge, ideas and designs over the last few years and have been creating earrings, necklaces, rings and bracelets in silver, many of which include using the sea-gla...

Janis Volckman

Janis Volckman

I have been working with clay for some 30 years and I now work from my Oast house just outside Canterbury. Sometimes pieces are thrown on the wheel and sometimes they are hand built, or a combination of the two. I’d describe my work as rustic, colourful, quirky, contemporary and playful....

Jason Thackaberry

Jason Thackaberry

Jason and Freddy (no not that Jason and Freddy) have got together to bring you Jason's first children's book. Jason hopes to bring to his books the joy of his own childhood reads. Classic books such as Rumpelstiltskin and The Enormous Turnip being two of his favourites. His children's books hope to bring you stories your child will always remember, they will enjoy reading themselves or as a favourite bedtime story. Freddy J Lambert - Illustrator An artist and illustrator born in Mich...

Jayne Wright

Jayne Wright

I have been potting for 22 years. I was taught by Romilly Graham in her London studio. I mostly hand build and work with moulds in stoneware and porcelain. I am concerned about how disposable our society has become, we have so much unnecessary packaging and most of us guilt-cycle. I use my ceramic making to raise awareness and challenge these habits by making pieces that I hope people will want to reuse and keep. I use disposable plastic packaging and bric-a-brac from charity shops to pres...

Jeff Laurents

Jeff Laurents

My Life Education and the arts have been driving forces in my life for as long as I can remember. Being a people person, I am especially motivated to create works that bring pleasure and meaning to others. After taking a degree in Politics and Economics and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, I taught in secondary, further and higher education. Becoming interested in photography in the 1980's I took a part-time degree in Photography at the Polytechnic of Central London. At the Londo...

Jessica Newby

Jessica Newby

Hi, I started making jewellery a few years ago after taking a short silversmithing course and discovered a real passion for creating bespoke jewellery. Each piece is lovingly handcrafted in my garden studio in Ramsgate. The silver seashells are all moulded from real shells that I have found on local Thanet beaches then cast in fine silver clay. The sea glass used in my designs is all genuine UK sea glass. This beautifully patinated glass has been aged in the sea for a minimum of 60 years a...

Jill Young

Jill Young

My name is Jill Young. My grandchildren call me mad nanny! My work is eclectic, quirky, one off using many and varied recycled materials where possible. As a self- taught artist/maker my work is varied, individual and one-off. From a young age I re-invented clothes to make them different, to fit my small, short frame and achieve the quirky style I craved. In latter years I have been very lucky to have the opportunity to create and deliver art projects and workshops for adults with a lea...

Jo Weeks

Jo Weeks

My Millinery journey began when I was 4! My Grandmother was a Milliner and taught me the art of making hats and headpieces in my younger years. Although nowadays the fabric choice for most occasion hats is sinamay, the techniques for hat making has not changed so much. I make hats and headpieces for occasions such as weddings, parties, christenings and also horse racing events such as Royal Ascot. These pieces can be one-off designs or can be made bespoke to match any particular outfit. ...

Joanna Lynne Thornton

Joanna Lynne Thornton

I enjoy painting, drawing, photography and ceramics and create greetings cards as a hobby. These are either hand drawn, painted or from my photographs. I moved from London to Kent 40 years ago and fell in love with living on the South Coast and photographing the beautiful views in this area. In the 1970's I attended Trent Park College in Hertfordshire. I achieved by Bachelor of Education degree specialising in Art and Ceramics, Art Therapy and Art History. I have been a teacher in K...

John Wiltshire

John Wiltshire

Hello, I am 76 and I write children’s books. I moved to Westgate from Dartford 40 years ago. Before I retired I worked in St. Crispin’s Infant School as the caretaker for 16 years. It was while working there that I had this idea for a series of children’s stories set in an infant school. This idea then grew into what I now call The Mystery Door stories but it wasn’t until I retired that I really considered writing them. Then like most people, I needed something to do during the recent lock...

Julian Lovegrove

Julian Lovegrove

My parents lived in Bromley, Kent where I grew up. My father was an architect and mother an art teacher, who founded the Shortlands Studios. Our resident artist was Peter Midgley RCA. His studio was in our home, alongside the pottery. I went off to the City to earn "an honest fortune' in Banking and Finance and returned to creative art in 1996. I established an Antique Shop and Gallery in West Malling. After moving to Broadstairs, I became a 'plein air' painter of landscapes and seascapes....

Julie Leonard

Julie Leonard

I moved to Broadstairs from South East London over 20 years ago. I have loved living here ever since. One of my most thrilling moments as an artist was becoming the winner of the Kent Adult Education Watercolour Challenge 2006 - a watercolour paint-off with over 300 entries. I briefly attended Christ Church University, Canterbury as a part-time mature student studying Fine and Contemporary Art and then completed an illustration course with the London College of Art passing with distinct...

Karen Keen Young

Karen Keen Young

I’m always on the lookout for art manifesting itself in nature and culture. I worked at sea and have lived by the coast for most of my life, so my portfolio of work reflects a travel and coastal theme, including images and words from shores around the world. My artwork is created using a range of processes including photography, image transfer, engraving, stencil, paint or print techniques, incorporating mixed media and digital art. Concern for the environment and the health of our ocea...

Katy Donaldson

Katy Donaldson

Katy Donaldson has worked nationally and internationally (from the Maldives to the Middle East) for magazines, hotels, architects, galleries and graphic designers. She is regularly commissioned to shoot interiors and exteriors of all types of buildings and is an architecture lover, from Brutalist to Baroque, with a soft spot for concrete and corrugated metal! Katy lives on the border of Kent and East Sussex. ...

Keith McBride

Keith McBride

Much of my work is inspired by the people, architecture and transport systems in London from the period I spent working in the capital. I enjoy working with acrylics and canvas but start each new piece with an ink drawing. Then I incorporate cartoon style art and silkscreen printing to achieve my final artwork. I spend many hours researching the subjects of my work. Finding the best pieces from magazines to enhance my bespoke collages. It is as much as a surprise to me how it will finish as i...

Laurence Short

Laurence Short

I am a local artist from Ramsgate and I love to embrace nature, enjoying everything it can throw at me. Apart from my art, my other passion is kitesurfing, a sport where I can really feel the force of nature and harness its power. The aim of my art (which is still evolving) is to capture the wonder and beauty of the creatures we are so lucky to share our planet with, and to depict them in bright vibrant colours. My mantra for my art is: "Put some happiness in your life, hang a rainbow...

Lesley Gray

Lesley Gray

Nature inspires me creatively and emotionally to connect with my feelings and inner self. As a Graphic Designer and Illustrator I enjoy experimenting with new art materials and pushing them to achieving different results. Over Lockdown I pushed myself to try abstraction which, as an illustrator, I found rather difficult. I tried to recreate feelings and emotions. As a Scuba Diver I’m connected with nature and my Dive Buddies. At home I try to recreate and connect those feelings, colours...

Libby Cox

Hi, my name is Libby Cox, I’m a local artist and retired teacher. I work from home in Birchington. I was a teacher for many years at the local Primary school in Westgate. Since retiring I have juggled my time between, my wonderful family, grandchildren and my love of creating artwork. I have always painted and drawn, in some form or other, throughout my teaching career, having studied Fine Art whilst at Teachers Training College in London. I paint and draw a range of subjects from anima...

Linda Rendle

Linda Rendle

I have always loved sewing since being taught as a young girl by my French grandmother. While working full time as a nurse, sewing was a hobby and I made items for myself, family and friends. However, since reducing my hours in my regular job, I decided to take the plunge and see if anyone else liked what I made. I started with a few craft fairs, then opened an Etsy shop a year ago. In November I was privileged to have a shelf in Westgate Galleria where I have been selling statement cushions ...

Lisa Peru

Lisa Peru

My name is Lisa. I am a mother, teacher, designer and maker. Growing up in London, I qualified as a Surface Designer and Lecturer. I then moved to Margate with my partner and son eight years ago. Crafts and anything creative have always been my passion. Previously I specialised in printed textiles however my interest now lies in glass-fusing and tutoring. A great believer in art therapy, I enjoy encouraging others to be creative and to find something they can be passionate about too. ...

Lola McDowell

Lola McDowell

I’m an artist/maker, with the focus on handwoven textiles and fine arts. My creative practice is about Craft as Art. I started in fine art, then became more focused on hand-weaving, after hearing the phrase “Painting with Yarn”. I took a series of courses, culminating with the Handweavers Diploma. I continue to study, experiment and expand my horizons/knowledge and skills, as the more I learn, the more there is to know! I have exhibited and sold my work across the UK and have been an...

Lorraine Kinnear

Lorraine Kinnear

I am an Artist and Photographer living in the local area. I consider myself lucky to live in this beautiful part of the country, surrounded by a rich and diverse coastline with amazing sunsets and an abundance of natural woodland. They provide endless photographic opportunities as my artwork is very much inspired by nature and the area in which I live. Although nature is at the heart of my photography, my photographic style is quite abstract. I like to take a shot and then use various tech...

Maureen Georganou

Maureen Georganou

Hello, I am Maureen, a Textile Arts (BEd Hons) graduate and a former textiles teacher. I taught for many years in Margate before moving abroad to raise my boys. My love of textiles and everything handmade was greatly influenced by my very talented Grandmother Ginny. She taught me to knit, crochet and sew as a child. Grandmother Ginny gave me the skills which I developed into a career and a lifelong passion. I have been designing and making hand crafted items throughout my life, focussi...

Max Sheppard

I work with wood, predominantly found on local beaches and marshland. I use other materials such as plastics and metal. My wall-based reliefs are abstract in appearance and often boxy and angular in design. They are loosely based around my architecturally-inspired drawings. I like the shape and condition when it comes to composition.. Other characteristics of the materials play a significant part in my direction. Though there is an architectural link with my methodical working technique, ...

Melanie Tong

Melanie Tong

I use my own photographs of the East Kent Coastline as the starting point for my paintings. I work mostly with acrylics, but I have recently been adding ink and collage elements too. The layers produce a range of colours, found in the natural seascapes, that reveal themselves through the final surface. The paintings show an abstracted view from the photographs, occasionally including recognisable landmarks or forms of particular areas, but focussing on the forms that the tides and the coas...

Michele Papageorghiou

Michele Papageorghiou

Michele Papageorghiou – also known as Mrs P – has always had a passion for art and craft. During the August Summer Holidays she would usually undertake a project. Whether it be mosaicking tables, (even the garage), making ceramics, fusing glass to make jewellery, or decorating garden objects. Having retired from working as a local primary school teacher, Michele found time to enjoy Thanet’s beautiful scenery. She was also able to undertake activities at a more leisurely pace, allowing he...

Nero Nehrer

Nero Nehrer

Nero (Radovan Nehrer) was born in Slovakia and now lives with his wife and two sons in Broadstairs, Kent. He has studied material design. His passion for testing the many aesthetic functionalities that material can have has evolved into his bonsai wire tree making. For Nero each of his trees has life. Nero sees each tree that he makes as a work of art that he hopes will have a positive impact on the world. Everyone can find their own meaning in the art of his trees. Nero's trees can ...

Nick Evans

Nick Evans

Nick Evans has been a career journalist for 43 years, working mainly in the specialist arenas of public relations and internal communications. He grew up in Birchington in Kent, during the 1960s and 1970s and his first foray into journalism came in 1977 when he left school, aged 17, to become a trainee reporter with the Isle of Thanet Gazette in Margate. He has since worked for large corporations, public sector organisations, PR agencies and newspapers, in a range of writing, design and produ...

Nick Gilbert

Living in Margate, on East Kent's coastline, and a keen fisherman, Nick has been inspired to return to photography after 25 years, to produce stunning local seascapes....

Nick Howlin

Nick Howlin

Hi, I'm Nick. Nick's Knits is a small business run from my home and by me. Every item you see on my display at Westgate Galleria has been individually designed and handmade by me. How it all started Way back in the mists of time (well, the spring of 2018), I was looking for a new hobby, something that would give me the opportunity to channel my creativity. A friend suggested knitting. "Random" I thought ... but hey, why not? So off I went to a local shop and bought some wool and kni...

Nick Kelly

Nick Kelly

I was born in Whitstable, Kent in 1951. After a few enjoyable years travelling, I trained as a teacher, specialising in Drama and Media. Working as a volunteer teacher in Egypt with VSO in 1975, I began my love of Arabic and the Middle East. I took up a post in Qatar in 1977 where I continued to live for twenty-three years. In 2000 I came back to the UK and worked as a freelance newsreader with the BBC World Service. I now work at home in Whitstable, devoting my time to painting and writing...

Nicola Taylor

Painting and the seaside have always been my passions. From a young age, I was happiest with a paintbrush in my hand or splashing about in the sea. I see the world around me in colour, shape and pattern. My paintings are vibrant because I have always admired bold and colourful art which catches your eye. Beautiful coastlines provide perfect inspiration for my paintings. I live in between Margate and Broadstairs and have many beautiful bays on my doorstep. I am constantly inspired by the be...

Pat Matthews

Pat Matthews

My name is Pat. I’m an artist and crafter living and working in Herne Bay. I moved to the Kent coast about 18 months ago (August 2018) from South London. I studied at Epsom school of Art & Design, way back in the eighties and subsequently worked as a window dresser, layout artist and, most recently in school breakfast & after school clubs, guiding art & craft activities for children (amongst other things!). On the side, I was making hand-painted fabric goods: Tote bags, cush...

Peggy and Anthony Elsdon

Peggy and Anthony Elsdon

Based in Kent, Peggy and Anthony Elsdon are husband and wife jewellers. They create sculptural jewellery with an ancient Japanese technique called Mitsuro Hikime. It uses a combination of pine resin and beeswax (supplied by their family's Kent bees) to make the initial formations. Then lost-wax cast into recycled precious metals. This technique allows them to create truly organic and freeform structures akin to bark, flowing water, paint brush strokes etc. Commissions and the remodellin...

Rebecca Thomas

Rebecca Thomas

Hi. I’m Becky, nice to meet you. I am a graphic designer and illustrator based in Westgate-on-Sea. I work for a range of clients, designing logos, brochures and websites. I managed a large London design team for 15 years until I escaped to Thanet in 2018 with my partner and baby daughter. I’d been longing to be near the sea for quite some time. The first thing I did on arrival was to illustrate some of the fantastic local buildings and beach scenes. That became the Westgate-on-Sea Ca...

Renee Richardson

Renee Richardson

I am a 54 year old local lady who is dealing with health issues that have allowed me time to indulge my passion for arts and crafts. My collaged and assemblage artworks use responsibly-sourced materials as much as possible. From foraging in my garden and local beaches, to charity shop purchases and recycled products. My inspiration is the latest interior design trends incorporating nature, wildlife and historical events in my life....

Richard Harrison

Richard Harrison

Based in the seaside town of Broadstairs, I create hand-crafted characterful and unique ceramics. I enjoy incorporating items such as driftwood and sea glass found on the glorious beaches of the Kent coast. I use various methods such as throwing, coiling and slab building. They can be enjoyed in the home or garden. Each piece is first Bisque-fired to 950 degrees C in the kiln to set the clay. Once the piece is glazed and decorated it is then fired for a second time. I use either an electri...

Richard Savin

Richard Savin

Richard Savin is a retired journalist who now devotes his time to writing. In the early part of his career he worked extensively in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. After ten years in Asia he returned to the UK, and in a change of direction, indulged his lifelong passion for cooking, opening his first restaurant under the name of La Petite Auberge de Sal Savin where he was head chef. Widely acclaimed by the food critics for the Times, Evening Standard and the wider press he went on to o...

Samantha Halliwell

Samantha Halliwell

My name is Samantha Halliwell and I am the owner of Hare and Moon Jewellery. Based in my small studio in Margate I design and make silver jewellery. I want to make jewellery that people can wear every day. That they can love and cherish for many years to come. You can wear my jewellery day in and day out. I want my jewellery to make you as happy to wear it as it makes me to make it for you. My Jewellery I make my jewellery from sterling silver and silver metal clay. You can hallmark si...

Samantha Wing

Samantha Wing

Samantha Wing currently lives in the lovely seaside town of Ramsgate with her husband, three children and two dogs, working from her studio as a freelance vegan artist and illustrator. She learned to paint at a very young age, being very fortunate to have a creative mother, who provided plenty of encouragement during her art journey. After leaving school Samantha travelled Europe for a while, falling in love with the colours and vibrancy of the Mediterranean. A few years later in her ea...

Sarah Bowles

Sarah Bowles

I was so fed up buying clothes that didn’t fit properly that I decided to learn how to make as much of my own clothing as possible. Mostly through trial and error (and a whole lot of mistakes!) I learnt how to make all my own clothing. I now make everything I wear as well as anything else that can be sewn! Without a doubt, I am at my happiest when I am at my sewing machine making something new and exciting. Sewing is my form of therapy and meditation. With the added bonus that I get someth...

Sarah Gibbon

Sarah Gibbon

I am a Margate-based creative, currently focused on making wearable art and running Shoreline Partners. I moved to Margate three years ago, after a long career at Goldsmiths, University of London, and am loving living near the sea and the beach, amongst the creativity that abounds throughout Thanet. I have designed, made and sold contemporary jewellery, accessories and decorations for quite a few years now, specialising in seed-beaded pieces that use bold and quirky colour combinations. ...

Sarah Wyld

Sarah Wyld

I’ve been a photographer since the 1970s and also ran workshops in the community, taught within Adult Education, for an NHS mental health trust, and independently. Having used a darkroom for years I still mainly do my own printing – now digital. A few years ago I moved from London to Westgate-on-Sea. Different opportunities have opened up, for instance through POW!Thanet, including a collaboration with East Kent Mencap, ‘See Me & Hear My Voice’, and an exhibition ‘Life Lit Up’ in Clift...

Saroj Nelson

Saroj Nelson

A late bloomer, I did my fine art degree at Central St. Martins, London in the 1980s. Always a keen gardener, I used my creative skills to pursue a career in horticulture. I started a successful business designing and installing bespoke planting schemes across London. Alongside my interest in plants, I trained and qualified as an ITEC massage therapist, using essential oils to ease the stresses of my busy clients. Fulfilling my dream to live by the sea, I moved with my partner John,...

Serena Salvatore

Serena Salvatore

Hi, my name is Serena, I am an Italian “ABSTRACT, FIGURATIVE” artist based in Margate. Since my childhood I felt my artistic talent but only in 2005 I put it into practice, and never stopped. I love to paint with oil and acrylic, but my creativity brings me to explore new techniques, increasingly popular in the world of art. My art is abstract-figurative, I love reproducing landscapes, still life, seascapes and describe everyday life. Since I moved to Margate I have been blessed with its s...

Sheradon Dublin

Sheradon Dublin

Hi, I’m Sheradon. Its lovely to meet you. I am a photographer and graphic designer based here in Westgate-on-Sea. I have been working as a creative since the early 2000s for a broad range of consumer and commercial clients, before relocating from London to Westgate with my family in 2015. Since moving to Kent, I have been lucky enough to work with many local businesses such as The Turner Contemporary, Dreamland Margate and the Margate Mercury to name a few. I do love this part of Kent, ...

Shoreline Partners

Shoreline Partners

Shoreline Partners is the home of Westgate Galleria, The Eclectic Art Gallery Margate and Margate Made. Shoreline runs on a socially responsible business model which enables our artists, makers and creatives to run their small artisan businesses by renting low cost display spaces from us, and pay a small commission for our selling and promotional services. This means they receive the majority of the income made from their sales. We also offer space to run courses, exhibitions, meet the ...

Stephanie Fuller

Stephanie Fuller

I am a painter and sculptor with over three decades of experience as an exhibiting artist. I moved to the UK in 1982, but my family's Margate ties go back to the 1940s and 1950s when they were antique dealers in the area. My artworks embrace the beauty of simplicity, and the splendour of the natural world, with particular focus on flowers, seascapes and marine and beach life; encouraging viewers to connect with the sublime and the unremarkable. I have exhibited globally, when living in ...

Susie Darnton

Susie Darnton

I’m Susie and I live in Broadstairs in Kent in the UK ‘A Dance in the Moon Garden’ is my first book and it took me over a year to create. The initial ideas for the text came to me when I was driving in the rain and the windscreen wipers had a distinct rhythm, which seemed to suggest a rhythmic poem. The original images are watercolour, fine coloured pen and gel pen on Saunders paper. Some of them took more than three days to produce. I studied Fine Art at Newcastle University for six ye...

Sybil Anderson

Sybil Anderson

Hello, my name is Sybil and I am a patchwork/quilter and textile crafter based in Thanet. I have been sewing since I was at school and took up patchwork and quilting 12 years ago when I found my Mum’s patchwork throws in my very large fabric collection. As an avid collector of Liberty and William Morris fabrics, I decided to use my skills and turn these fabrics into treasured and useful items. Some of my best sellers are my quilted tote bags and special occasion bags. Almost all my creatio...

Tony Clifford

Hi, I’m Tony, I make original handmade pens. Each one is a unique combination of form and function. I’ve always had an active interest in the creative arts and worked in many materials - clay, wood, plastics and even concrete. Over many years these have encompassed toys, artwork, sculptures and DIY projects. The enduring interest has been with wood and wood turning (for around 40 years). Why pens now? They make such lovely gifts and often charm people when they receive one. It’s what I ...

Vic Sharratt

Vic Sharratt

I am a Wildlife photographer, based in Westgate-on-Sea, Kent I started taking wildlife photos in my garden in Birchington in the mid 90s after a trip to Kenya. Having never used a DLSR camera before and knowing nothing about photography it was unsurprising that the images I brought back from the East African trip were pretty poor. Those days of course I used slide film and when the results came back from the lab I was shocked how bad the photos were. My wife said I managed disappointmen...

Wendy Carter

Wendy Carter

I have recently retired from my busy consultancy business working with the NHS. As a person who likes to be busy and having rediscovered my love of sewing I made some dog coats for my own dog. Expanding to making coats to sell at fairs I have progressed to include accessories in my range. I enjoy making items that are different to those sold in the stores and making them unique. I produce hand-made dog coats and accessories such as leads, collars, bandanas, poo bag holders etc. These are ...

Wilfred Jenkins

Wilfred Jenkins

Wilfred is an autistic and deaf photographer who specialises in nature and wildlife. He lives in Westgate-on-Sea in Thanet in Kent, UK...