About
I have always been interested in form and function; how something looks, feels, and operates to serve a purpose. Even inanimate objects can tell stories. The world is full of them; you only have to look closely enough to appreciate their beauty.
As an artist, I believe capturing that story is incredibly important. It’s what can transform a painting of a watering can into something meaningful. When an artist notices the small details; the aged watermarks along the side, the dent in the bottom corner. The object begins to feel alive. Those imperfections give it character and make it unique. They give it memory. Objects may not be alive, but they still carry history, value, and sentiment. We are not simply painting the watering can itself; we are painting the life it has lived. And it is that sense of life that drives me as an artist.
I have always been creative, and art was something I enjoyed throughout school. However, it was in college that I discovered a real passion for design. I became interested in the way design combines creativity with function, allowing ideas to become something both practical and visually engaging.
After taking a few wrong turns in life and spending nearly twenty years in a career I wasn’t truly passionate about, I decided to return to education and pursue a path in design. It was at University of Lancashire that I discovered Games Design, a field that allowed me to combine my creativity with a lifelong passion for gaming. It offered a new challenge, reignited my enthusiasm for design, and gave me the opportunity to channel my creative skills into creating engaging and meaningful experiences.
Project overview
Urban Detective, Boathouse Scene
This Abandoned Boathouse scene was created for a 3rd person adventure game where the player takes control of young urban explorer. The protagonist is given the location of a previously unexplored site deep within the British lake district. However, as you explore this location you discover something horrific, the remnants of a struggle, possibly a murder and a trail of clues that could help unravel the mystery of what happened all those years ago.
My main inspiration for this came from games like Resident Evil, Discworld, Disco Elysium and Simon the Sorcerer. In these games, the player is given very little information to work from and has to figure out how to progress using hidden clues by exploring multiple different locations.
This project is environment design driven and I wanted to show off the art style of the whole game while showcasing my skills as an environment artist. Block outs, asset placement, environmental storytelling and lighting have all been used together to bring the story to life.
