about

I  work from my home in a quiet, rural setting close to the village of Marshfield in South Gloucestershire. I take much of my inspiration from the hill top views and steeply wooded valleys of this area which lies at the southern most tip of the Cotswolds. The colour, tone and light here has a particular blue/grey quality that permeates both the landscape and the light that falls into the house . 

I usually begin a work by making quick, compositional sketches on paper and then move swiftly on to work directly with colour in oil paints. I often prime the boards I work on with a dark-toned base layer. Occasionally I work directly onto paper or linen. I frequently have five or six pictures that I work on consequtively, using brushes initially, then pencil, chalk, cloths, sandpaper and various scratching tools, so that a process of building up and taking away takes place until the composition, tone and colour vibrancy feels right. 

I enjoy the freedom of work that is inspired by the observation but which I then feel free to play with; taking key elements I then try to present in a semi-abstract or simplified form. This process can transform the original image completely. Experimenting with the surface textures and creating a strong sense of mood and light, I am happy to let my imagination take over.

At present the people whose work I find I refer to the most includes: the ancient murals Egypt, the artists of St. Ives and Ben Nicholson's more figurative work in particular; the Bloomsbury artists; Bonnard, Gaugin, Rousseau.