I am an artist living in the Welsh Borders and particularly enjoy the challenge of working “en plein air”; the changing light and conditions add immediacy and give energy to a composition. My surroundings - the landscape of the Radnor Forest and the farm where I live - are endlessly inspiring, as are trips to the continent (less frequent now, since Covid!).
Studio painting, I find, is a journey into the unknown…It can be emotionally taxing, a delving into one’s ego and a means of self-discovery shedding all that is peripheral. I work in oils on themes in series, referring to gathered material in the form of sketches, photographs and memory.
The use of watercolour and mixed media, being so portable are often used outdoors in response to the surroundings and particularly for travel.
Living on a farm provides constant subject matter: the annual lambing and sheep shearing have become a source of inspiration over many years.
Life Drawing is integral to my artistic life; the discipline of a regular life class helps maintain a constant rhythm in my work and a barometer to change and development.
Living “in the moment”, a sketchbook is always to hand for noting and preserving anything of interest.
I think of my paintings as being in essence, celebratory, expressing a thankful heart. I hope they are perceived as being life-enhancing.