8 Painting

I was educated at Moseley School of Art in Birmingham from the age of eleven although I knew I wanted to paint from the age of seven. I went to Bretton Hall to do my degree and that was what drew (and kept) me in Yorkshire. I have run a theatre company, taught special needs and learned West African drumming in Ghana and Senegal, but I always painted. Twenty years ago I decided that I wanted to devote all of my time to painting. I have a studio at the top of our house with commanding views down the beautiful Holme Valley just shy of Holmfirth, Yorkshire. My subjects range from local landscapes to those from Europe and Africa, places I have been to and enjoyed. I also paint still lifes, animals, trees and figures. I try to find a balance between what I see and what I paint using inks which give great depth of colour. The initial idea or image may be a landscape view but once the first mark is made, it becomes at best a balance and at times a struggle between retaining some truth to the subject and pushing the painted image to new ground. I use Diamine, Dr. Martins, Liquitex and Rohrer Klingner inks-emulsion, shellac or water based as well as watercolour. The vibrancy of the inks is complemented by their great subtlety. I use a variety of papers, Canson, Milford and Khadi paper for its lovely texture.