Born into Irish landed gentry, Theodora's childhood was spent between Tipperary, Pembrokeshire and Somerset. She grew up in shabby opulence with muddy hands, sea salted skin and a dusting of either dog or horse hair.
Her slightly eccentric and rural upbringing has given her a reverence for nature and a fascination with history. Hours spent rootling through dusty old box rooms, whole days lost to melting down lead in an abandoned forge, long hot summers where every day was a beach day, chatting to the retired butler whilst he drank his tea from a saucer, all of which were mostly undertaken whilst wearing odd shoes and a rara skirt.
She showed a creative streak from a young age and was often found cutting, sticking, painting and drawing, making something out what was available. A clash of wills with her GCSE art teacher meant that she didn’t take a typical route to her art career. Instead she took her love for all the broken and faded works of art she grew up surrounded by, and went to university in London to study antique restoration and conservation. It was there that she discovered a love for decorative surfaces, in particular, gilding, japanning and paint effects. A three year practical apprenticeship in a commercial restoration workshop further consolidated this love and taught her many traditional skills and techniques.
Today she works from home in her Somerset garden studio, lovingly built for her by her husband ‘The Carpenter’. She loves the gentle pace of rural life and watching her son grow up. Her love for nature, history and anything old rubs off on the work she creates today. Stubbornly refusing to ‘niche down’ to one medium or style, she takes great pleasure in following her creative curiosity to make pieces which spark joy. From watercolour botanical studies, whimsical jewellery depicting mice and insects, verre eglomise, plaster casts of nature finds, painting anything that stays still long enough, experimenting with materials and applying gold leaf to most things. It all insures her work is varied and interesting.
Theodora loves to work on her own creations but she also loves working with others to bring their creative ideas to life. If you would like to work with her, she'd love to hear from you.