Our Artists

Mixed Media Artist

For Nikki Griffith, art is a never-ending journey of exploration and discovery. Inspired by extensive travels, a love of nature, the sea and the beautiful Kent countryside, her work draws on the places, landscapes and experiences that surround her.

Nikki works across a wonderfully varied range of media, including collage, mixed media, watercolour, inks and acrylics. Rather than favouring one particular medium, she embraces the individual challenges and possibilities of each, enjoying the freedom to experiment with different techniques, styles and ideas.

Her work is not about creating a photographic representation of the world. Instead, Nikki brings her own interpretation, character and sense of curiosity to each piece. Her style has been described as “varied and quirky” — a description she is more than happy to embrace.

It is this constant variety that keeps her work evolving, with each new piece offering another opportunity to explore, experiment and discover.

Landscape & Fibre Artist

Leigh Norgrove is known for her atmospheric landscapes and seascapes, but a chance encounter with an entirely different medium — 100% wool fibres — opened up a new direction for her work.

Captivated by the possibilities of wool, Leigh explores the way individual fibres can be manipulated, blended and layered to build colour, texture and depth. The results can be wonderfully surprising, with finished pieces often appearing from a distance like traditional watercolour or pastel paintings.

Her work is inspired by the landscapes and places she encounters on her travels. Photographs, together with colour notes made at the time, help Leigh capture the distinctive tones, atmosphere and character of a particular scene.

Always exploring the possibilities of this unusual medium, Leigh is currently working with wool fibres from Romney Marsh sheep, creating a particularly fitting connection between the landscapes she depicts and the natural materials used to create them.

Textile Artist

Carol Dixon is a Kent-based textile artist whose work is inspired by the landscapes and familiar landmarks that surround her. Her ideas often begin while walking and taking photographs, using recognisable places as a starting point before allowing each piece to develop intuitively.

Carol creates her own unique fabrics using an extensive range of processes, including dyeing, shrinking, melting, dissolving and wet felting, alongside hand and machine stitching. She also incorporates recycled and found materials, from maps, magazines and teabags to fruit nets, vintage tablecloths and tea towels.

Known for her vivid colour palette, Carol builds her landscapes through layers of fabric, allowing the materials themselves to influence the colour and composition. Hand stitching and beading add further texture, detail and touches of shine.

Having sewn throughout her life, Carol originally trained in tailoring and pattern construction. It was later study in City & Guilds embroidery and felting that inspired her transition from manufacturing into textile art.

Ceramic & Mixed Media Artist · BA Fine Arts

Mary Sampson studied sculpture and has worked across wood, stone, ceramics and mixed media throughout her artistic career. For the past twenty years, clay has become the principal focus of her practice, allowing her to combine her sculptural background with a fascination for form, texture and the natural world.

Inspired by the Kent landscape, its seashore and surrounding plant life, Mary creates ceramic and mixed-media work with a strong connection to nature. With her studio situated in her garden, many of her pieces are designed specifically for outdoor settings, with forms and finishes chosen to complement the plants and spaces around them.

Working predominantly in stoneware, Mary creates sculptural pieces for both the home and garden, alongside selected works using Raku techniques. Her longstanding interest in folk tales also finds its way into her Story Boxes, where ceramics and mixed media come together to explore narrative in a distinctive and imaginative way.

More recently, her Blue Footed Birds, inspired by the drawings of Quentin Blake, have opened a playful new chapter in her evolving sculptural practice.

Oil, Watercolour, Acrylic & Illustration

After a long career as a graphic designer, Sam Scott turned her attention to painting full time eight years ago, bringing with her a strong sense of composition and a lifelong love of colour.

Working across oils, watercolour, acrylics, pastels and ink, Sam enjoys the different qualities each medium offers. Her work has received national recognition: she was selected as a finalist in The British Art Prize from around 30,000 entries and later competed in Landscape Artist of the Year.

Alongside her painting, Sam has illustrated the Tiggy the Salty Seadog children’s books, with the third book published in November 2024, as well as The Coral Babies, created in collaboration with a well-known film director.

Sam lives on the Kent coast, where the expansive beach, changing light and dramatic skies provide a constant source of inspiration for her work.

Secretary

As Secretary of HART, Di Wilson plays an important role in supporting the organisation and helping to keep members, artists and the wider community connected. For general enquiries about HART, its exhibitions, membership or the organisation itself, Di is a welcoming point of contact and is always happy to help.

We’re always interested in discovering new artists. If you’d like to find out more about exhibiting with hART at a future exhibition, we’d be delighted to hear from you.