A short biog – School and Art College in Croydon, followed by Swansea, Specialist art teaching cert with focus on a ceramics diploma. I worked in the Welsh Cottage Craft industry for a time, mostly making Welsh dragons in clay before I got a teaching post in Kent.

Then dropped out – went sailing for three years – ‘freedom’ in the Caribbean, until returning to England to have the first of three children. I ran Gunnislake Co-operative Nursery School, for three years – it is now closed. I returned to secondary teaching, Art and Design, at a lovely school, but needing to do my own work, after 15 years, I decided to study again this time concentrating on metal, in Plymouth, I thought this would be useful!

I get most fulfilment from getting to understand materials and techniques - paper, clay, pewter, wood, paint, even textiles. I have a portfolio of artist’s drawings for the playgrounds and a load of metalwork and sculpture, still to be exhibited, as well as masses of life drawings – interesting to see how different mediums that I use affect the style of the image.

What kind of an artist am I? – I think it defies description!
Water, fluidity, emergence, energy, are all features in my work, which can be abstract or semi-abstracted. I see potential in many things, which means that I am always striving to reach something else!
There are a few things that I still want to achieve - I have work in a couple of collections and have had some good commissions, but I’d like to get my painting sorted! More details can be seen on my website, if you want to delve www.melanieguy.com

However there are more important demands right now - I am driven by the necessity of this time – pragmatism. I have become passionate about climate change and the necessity to change thinking so that societies will fall quickly to the defense of nature and change our economic system for one that loves the earth and stops exploiting it. This is probably a rant – but it does need public airing - it affects us all, for without a drastic change to our way of life only some aspects of the world will survive through climate change. Our whole economic system has to re-establish with a fresh template and we all have to be satisfied with much, much less, to maintain just a portion of what we know. This currently occupies my thinking and practice and I find it difficult to express in visual terms, except in graphics orientated protest banners.

Where's your favourite place?

So my favourite place is my garden – vegs., flowers, trees and shrubs, and grubs – my delight when new growth shows or a bud opens. It really is my 3d ‘painting’ – like Monet! ...whatever the circumstance, I think this is the best place to end.

What's your favourite book and/or film?

A favourite book would be ‘Out of the Wreckage’ by George Monbiot which gives us an alternative route, with hope.

I don’t have favourite films – I don’t watch television – we don’t have one. I prefer to deal with reality rather than fiction, my feet are on this earth and in this time – now we all have to be pragmatic.

What irritates you?

Human’s self-centredness irritates me. In contrast...

Who would you most like to meet (anyone dead or alive)?

...I’d like to be in the presence of David Attenborough, to absorb his intelligence and love for our planet – I hope he makes 100 years and is able to see a watershed in world action.