That is, she could at various stages have been described as an abstract painter without inviting contradiction, but at the same time what she's done has always been receptive to influences from without. She never sought to isolate herself within a formalist framework. The impact and influence of landscape, and even more, the sea, have been the most conspicuous presences in this regard, but other things too, including currents of feeling, the flavour and structure of such artistic forms as poetry and music, have surely informed her painting.