I live with my husband Ally who works in physics education and a little dog Lumi who thinks he’s a big dog. In the uni holidays, we have our lovely daughter Arera here too. Apart from a couple of years in Milan, Italy, we have lived in Cambridge for over thirty years. We met at Jesus College.
Drawing has been a compulsion and a comfort all my life. I had an unusual childhood travelling the world, and drawing was my constant. Once I moved to Cambridge to study history when I was 18, I knew I had finally found my home.
My previous job was running a detective agency. Well, family history detection, anyway. I now don’t have time to do much with Helpful Genealogy , but I do miss solving tricky family history mysteries, and researching complex family trees. It’ was like doing a never-ending crossword puzzle. Except that it had to end, as it was too time consuming to enable me to draw and paint as much as I wanted to.
I started painting again as a way of winding down when I was too involved with these baffling mysteries. A chance to use the left side of my brain for a change. Most of my drawing and painting celebrates the beautiful city I feel so lucky to live in. I generally work in pen. I like concise lines and like to record what I see, not what I want to see. It’s there, and my fingers start itching to record it. I think that’s the historian in me. I then use watercolour to add colour and vibrancy to my lines.
My work around Cambridge is frequently featured in the press, and was chosen for the well-received Cambridge Art Book. My work is on permanent display in a number of restaurants and galleries. I am a member of Cambridge Open Studios and Urban Sketchers. My greetings cards are available from most good independent shops in the Cambridge area, as well as from me directly. I have had many commissions from Cambridge colleges and institutions, independent shops and restaurants, as well as from individuals. My artwork has been chosen to accompany the University of Cambridge alumni mailings, and is frequently used by Cambridge in America. I have a proven track record in working with companies and organisations to deliver the artwork they want.
I also collaborate with the popular Cambridge photographer Sara Rawlinson on our Cambridge Boathouses series and book.
If you’d like to contact me, to see how I could help with your project, or paint something for you, or just to ask a question, send me an email – naomidaviesart@gmail.com
The best way to contact me is by email on naomidaviesart@gmail.com. (Copy and paste if your web browser doesn’t support mailto links). I will always reply within 48 hours max, and usually sooner.
Or message me through social media. I am on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
You can hear an interview with me on local radio, Cambridge 105, talking about my art, and my story. (Starts at 1hr 38 mins) or watch a short film about me on my YouTube channel.
photo: Michael J Sim