This tension between the viewer’s perception and the artist’s intent is particularly evident in abstract art, which often doesn’t immediately reveal its meaning. Many people may dismiss abstract work, unsure of how to approach it. Colette chooses to share the story behind her paintings, explaining, “Without giving them a history lesson I just tell them what that painting was about, what inspired me to paint that way or to title it.”

Her approach to painting is intuitive, letting the emotions and memories that surface guide the process.

Colette’s colour choices are interesting. Often very bold; however, they generally feature more muted tones, and many of her pieces tend to feature darker tones, which is quite unusual. On this point, she told me how what starts as a bold, colourful exploration often becomes something more subtle. She reflects on how the process of covering up parts of the painting isn’t about hiding, but rather about exploring deeper emotions.

For Colette, art becomes a way of not only expressing but understanding her feelings. She enjoys allowing the viewer to discover hidden layers within the work, inviting them to “just look a bit more closely.” She believes there’s beauty in the subtle details that emerge when you stand up close to the painting.

Her paintings are more than just the surface—they’re invitations to explore what lies beneath.

Her journey to abstract art was a personal evolution. Growing up in a family where representational painting was the norm, Colette initially thought of that as “true fine art”. However, as she matured and began to explore her own identity as an artist, she discovered the freedom of abstraction. “The happiest I would be in a painting process would be at the very beginning and I would just be playing.” She describes how her creative process shifted from tight, controlled work to a more liberated, loose approach. Over time, she realised that her own artistic style was to “just make the mark and be content.”

In recent years, Colette has found joy in documenting her thoughts about her work in written form. This type of journaling allows her to record her thoughts and emotions about a particular artwork in that period of time. Her artistic journey is not just for herself but also a legacy for her family, capturing her thoughts and emotions for future generations. Speaking about her two children, she shared, “It would be nice for me to document that so that when they’re older they can read it and know what I was thinking about.”

Colette’s work is often inspired by the landscape around her. While she describes herself as “not a great colourist,” she draws inspiration from Mother Nature’s plentiful palette. A lot of her work is influenced by her childhood, and finding connection with her Asian heritage.

Growing up in Scotland, Colette shared how the landscape, even in summer, was quite harsh, with cooler, starker tones. Speaking about the darker colouring elements in her work, she referenced her Asian heritage and cultural influence, saying, “There's a lot of dark wood, the hair, the skin, I would see a lot of beauty in really dark colours.”

Her connection to family and cultural traditions also plays a significant role in her work. She told me about a recent commission she was working on, involving a series of paintings inspired by the game of Mahjong. The commission was for ten pieces of work to be displayed within an office building for a financial firm. “The brief was just the colour palette,” Colette recalls, which included soft blues, teals, and peachy tones. Colette came up with the idea to create the collection inspired by Mahjong imagery. The game itself, she says, has deep symbolism tied to both joy and financial themes. “It's very popular, it has that financial aspect to it but also a lot of the symbolism, which relates to the game, is also about the joy, the spirit, having the spirit of playfulness as well.” She wasn’t sure how the idea came to her but shared, “It just makes me smile because I think of the family games that we've had, it's just such a big piece of my family history.”

Beyond these commissions, her personal memories also shape her work. One of her most emotional pieces, inspired by her father, captures the deep greens of the sea. She describes how her father was a mussel farmer and that she would join him on the trawler during the holidays. Colette described working on this piece as ‘catching a moment’, as she worked on it. She explained to me how she started to see a kind of doorway, and felt that was where he had gone. Ultimately, the artwork became a form of reconciliation, as she describes it, “I've put all those emotions and I've let them drift out to sea. I'm in a state of peace about it now.”

Through her art, Colette navigates a journey of emotion, memory, and personal discovery. Her paintings are not just about the marks on the canvas; they are about life’s range of experiences, from grief to joy, and everything in between. Art, for her, is a way of processing those emotions and sharing them with the world.

Colette is based in Surrey and often exhibits as part of Surrey Artists Open Studios. Follow her online at…