When I tell people that I paint ‘manhole covers,’ I am often faced with puzzled looks and scepticism.

I am not just drawn to the idea of nature surviving in a manmade environment - I am equally fascinated by the manhole cover itself, equally too the drain grate or heating grille. I have seen them called ‘street jewellery’ and when one has spotted a manhole cover inlaid with what looks like sections of mother of pearl or the almost excessively ornate design of a heating grille in a greenhouse floor, one can really appreciate this description.

They are more than just beautifully designed objects, they are ‘doorways to the past’ – ‘markers of social history’ as they tell us about the way our built world and its infrastructure have developed and evolved. Every time I see a new cover or grate, I wonder about all the thought, effort as well as the pride that went into the design of each one. I see how different they appear when wet compared to dry, or how worn the patterns and lettering can get or how layers of old road paint can mark and further decorate them. When you add to this the huge variety of life that can grow up, through and around them, then even an old post hole or clay pipe can provide a location for inspiration. Thanks to the rubber matting on a golf course, I have learnt about the number of different types of mosses that can be found in one place as well as the tenacity of ferns growing in a drain in a carpark that is driven over every day.

I do not just paint manhole covers - I explore both our social history and the strength and beauty of the natural world.

Works in this collection range from £350 - £950

Click through on each artwork to see sizes and prices