Biography

Ilfra's images lure you in like a venus fly trap. They simply invite you to seek out different things that even she hasn't noticed. Surprises are always there. Is that an elephant or a hat or piece of coral hidden in the mouth of a fish. That's for you to decide!

Her gift for variety springs from her enthusiasm for improvising as she paints. She loves colours and how they contrast. Whether it is just a glance or a prolonged gaze, you will find something new every day.

Variety is key to her work but there are some distinct themes too. Some works fall into several themes so you may find it's  best to browse her whole web site to find which works you prefer. Some are mainly landscape, while  others have a still life quality.  People who know her work delight in the spontaneity that comes out of the pictures.  They also identify the something special which makes them distinctly ‘Ilfra’. 

Ilfra is a professionally trained musician with a music degree from the University of London. Her interest in music comes through in the paintings. Just as a keen listener will never hear the same thing twice each time they listen to the same piece of music, so too you will always feel refreshed at every viewing.

Formally trained at Birkenhead Institute of Art in 1983, her work has evolved especially by studying with Kevin Rayner at the Tower Arts Centre in Winchester. She has exhibited in London and in Hampshire, including solo and joint shows at the Southampton Art Gallery, the Maltby Gallery, Winchester, the Newbury Corn Exchange, Winchester City Space and the Selborne Gallery. Pictures are in private collections across the UK, France, Cyprus, Dubai and Germany.