About the Artist
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Growing up in rural Lancashire, I developed a love of the countryside and nature, whatever the season, whatever the weather. As my own horizons spread, I became fascinated with the landscape, vast or small, thunderous or quiet, from soaring mountains to quiet valleys and windswept beaches. The form, colour and textures of these wild places provide constant inspiration. By using my experiences and observations to capture a moment in time and by using energy and colour that is not of a particular view or place but exists as a collection of visual prompts that have been observed from nature. I then use these elements to orchestrate my paintings and to work with natural elements in the landscape making pieces to highlight the beauty and integrity of my surroundings.
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The elements from within landscape particularly the wild open places of the Peak District and the Hebrides being particularly inspiring and I use these as a basis for exploration with many different medias. Painting for me is a means of discovery of the landscape but through my own inner emotions and intuitive responses which often are completely different to my observations.
Using various tools including, brushes, natural materials, pallet knives and my hands, I feel my way through the landscape layering and manipulating the paint to form many layers. My work looks to engage the viewer within a vast, atmospheric perception of the landscape, exploring the interplay between land, horizon and sky using the physicality of paint in an abstract style.
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I do drawings, take photographs... but mainly, when out in the landscape, I just sit and paint, watching, seeing, listening, absorbing the essence of the place. Returning to the studio, I explore my drawings and experiences, working with inks and watercolours, mediums that are fluid and spontaneous, unpredictable even, allowing the watercolour or ink to run and pool, to build up soft layers. The work evolves almost organically, intuitively, until it becomes a distillation of my emotional response to the landscape rather than a specific representation of the location. I also work in oils building up layers, using wedges and rags to create a sense of fluidity into the surface. Currently I have work in the USA, New Zealand and Europe as well as the UK.
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