About Me
Art has always been a part of my life as long as I can remember, either through study or execution.
Luckily, I had an exceptional teacher at school, who encouraged my interests and helped me see art in the world around me, not just in galleries.
Although I pursued a career outside art, I remained interested in other artist’s work and practices and when I returned to making art myself, in mid-life, I did so with real intent.
I am not self-taught however, having been tutored by some wonderful artists over the years, I am still eager to learn different techniques.
Life drawing and portraiture have helped me with observational skills and is a discipline I enjoy.
However the subjects that inspire me to create are land and seascapes. I am drawn to the exploration and changing nature of light and shade and their ability to influence not just what we are seeing but to affect a radical change of mood.
My work attempts to convey these moods in nature in a slightly unreal dreamlike manner, my aim being to elicit an emotional response from the viewer and through my loose depiction of a scene to allow the viewer to decide on the atmospheric mood.
Colour and tone are all important to my paintings. Sometimes a paint colour new to me will be the starting point for a picture.
Often when I feel fully immersed in a work I feel that the picture paints itself so that when I later review what I have done I am surprised by the outcome. I have no formula for painting and approach each piece of work individually, trying to assess what I need to do to make it work.
Contrary to the myth that painting is a relaxing occupation, I think the opposite, but sometimes the harder and longer the process the greater the sense of fulfillment.
Art has always been a part of my life as long as I can remember, either through study or execution.
Luckily, I had an exceptional teacher at school, who encouraged my interests and helped me see art in the world around me, not just in galleries.
Although I pursued a career outside art, I remained interested in other artist’s work and practices and when I returned to making art myself, in mid-life, I did so with real intent.
I am not self-taught however, having been tutored by some wonderful artists over the years, I am still eager to learn different techniques.
Life drawing and portraiture have helped me with observational skills and is a discipline I enjoy.
However the subjects that inspire me to create are land and seascapes. I am drawn to the exploration and changing nature of light and shade and their ability to influence not just what we are seeing but to affect a radical change of mood.
My work attempts to convey these moods in nature in a slightly unreal dreamlike manner, my aim being to elicit an emotional response from the viewer and through my loose depiction of a scene to allow the viewer to decide on the atmospheric mood.
Colour and tone are all important to my paintings. Sometimes a paint colour new to me will be the starting point for a picture.
Often when I feel fully immersed in a work I feel that the picture paints itself so that when I later review what I have done I am surprised by the outcome. I have no formula for painting and approach each piece of work individually, trying to assess what I need to do to make it work.
Contrary to the myth that painting is a relaxing occupation, I think the opposite, but sometimes the harder and longer the process the greater the sense of fulfillment.
