Searle's early training was as a nurse in the 1960s.  She then completed her BA (Hons) at Falmouth College of Art in 1992.  On a postgraduate trip to Cyprus in 1994 her interest came alive in the viewing of walls, textures and topographical spaces which left her with impressions of fading murals in sacred places such as churches and monasteries.

'Since then I have used painting and sculpture as a personal commentary on life' as the ravages of time and human conflict come together in her pieces of work.  In 2000 she showed Sanctuary (oil on cotton on board) at Falmouth Art Gallery in the exhibition '20 Years of Contemporary Art'.

Searle runs occasional workshops and also exhibits with artists in Northern Italy, though she works and lives in Falmouth.