JJ Soames began drawing aged 1 predominantly crayon on linolium floors, she swiftly moved on to walls, and kitchen cupboards.

In the late 80's she lived for a time, in Dorset, with artist John Pickett and his family at Dinelys yard in  Berwick st John,  in those days, a plethora of Vardis and Bowtops, wagons and half painted Pub signs.

Having first visited in 1982, she moved to Portugal in the early 90's, subsequently buying an old ruin near the Castle in Silves. Strongly inspired by neighbouring artists Kate Swift and Roger Metcalfe, and their Studio Destra, she went on to experiment with tiles, ceramics, oxides and glazes, co-owning a studio in Ferragudo collaborating with the artist Jerome Gay.

Through the late 90's she worked in the clubbing industry alongside the one and only Antonio Cunha and his partner Rita, with Kaos Records, instigating the infamous first Caniço beach parties, and regularly exhibiting u.v backdrops throughout venues in Portugal.

Post millenia saw her co-found a circus troupe in the UK, performing and running workshops for low income families, and taking interactive shows on the road to events including, The Secret Garden Party, The Big Chill, Buddhafield, Sunrise Celebration, and Small World Gatherings.

For the past decade, she has concentrated her efforts on building and sustaining a series of small off grid projects in the Algarve, immersing herself once again in landscaping, gardening and nature, aswell as researching indepth family history, which in turn has inspired alot of the works on display.