About
Hello, I'm Agnes, a British artist and writer, painting primarily in oils and mixed media. I am driven by a desire for each painting to find and hold its own point of active balance.
My painting process is responsive - a deep listening. I seek to allow complex differences to exist together, and each work is, in some ways, a search for peace within that tension.
Having grown up roaming the Gloucestershire countryside, the structures and forces of nature recur throughout my work in organic forms, gestural marks, and a palette that leans toward luminous, earthy and softly vibrant tones.
In 2014 I gained a Master's in Creative Writing with Distinction from the University of Oxford; an inherent attention to metaphor and atmosphere carries over into visual language. I am currently writing my first novel.
My paintings are designed to hold a room - bringing the earth's vibrant, active presence into a space, and offering collectors work of material richness and lasting resonance.
ART Experience
I didn't start writing until university, but have drawn and painted for as long as I can remember. My mother opened an art gallery in our dining room when I was eight, enriching life with visits to degree shows and studios to discover wonderful artists, some of whom are still friends.
Finding it hard to decide between an English or Art degree, I chose the 'sensible' academic option, but funded it by modelling at Edinburgh College of Art to be able to spend four years listening in on the teaching.
In February 2026 I developed a repetitive strain injury from full-time computer work and began making art again. In May I sold my first paintings, began receiving commissions, and in June 2026 took on my first studio.
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August 2026: First collection - The Bulrush - launched online.
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June 2026: Took on first studio space in Hove, UK
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May 2026: Began selling paintings and receiving commissions through social media
Work Experience
Since 2007, I have primarily worked freelance while balancing my creative and family commitments. My current work as a Creative Strategist at Swey Studio, helps elevate businesses, founders and creatives for growth.
Writing Experience
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2025: Co-founded Write Here, Write Now novel writing group in Brighton
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2025-2026: Hosted weekly online creative sessions for writers and creatives
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2021 - Present: Launched Chasing Angels Substack
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2014-2015: Founded New Lines Poets, teaching poetry classes in Bristol
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2012-2014: Masters in Creative Writing at Oxford University: Distinction
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2010-2014: Attended creative writing courses with Alice Oswald (June 2014); Arvon Advanced Poetry (April 2011); University of Aberystwyth (2010-12)
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2010: Co-founded Marches Poets
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2002-2006: MA Honours English Literature at Edinburgh University: First Class
Publication
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2025: 'The Skin Appreciates', short story published by Little Scorpion Press in Reimagining Penetration Zine
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2017: ‘The Use of the Gap in Alice Oswald’s Poetry’ referenced in The Guardian, 22nd May 2017
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2015: ‘The Shape of Things’ for Illegitimate Objects with the Oxford University Maths Institute
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2015: ‘Radio News’ in West Side HERStory
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2015: ‘Turned’ in Boscombe Revolution
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2015: ‘Strike Gently’ in Rhino
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2014: ‘None of this explodes’ and ‘Turned’ in All Hollow;
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2014: ‘1:1’ in The Charnel House
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2014: ‘Sieved Gold on a Dark Train Window’ in Medicine Unboxed
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2014: ‘Strike Gently’ shortlisted for Cambridge University Mays Anthology
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2013: ‘Pop’ awarded Newfound Poetry Award finalist and published in Hothouse Magazine
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2012: ‘The Fire’ in The Frogmore Papers
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2012: ‘The Blue Gate’ and ‘Fleshing’ in the Terry Hetherington Young Writer’s Award anthology, Cheval V
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2010-11: Wrote and edited poems and foreword in Tidelines, Poems in the Undergrowth and Dropping Spoons with Marches Poets