"Gone Fishing" Collage

My formal art training was in Ceramics and sculpture has always been a great inspiration and influence in my work. My work as an art and photography teacher enables me to explore a wide variety of subjects and mediums. This and the young people I work with ensure that I am kept open to fresh ideas and new concepts When I first moved to the Chilterns the landscape had quite an impact on my work and abstract landscapes featured heavily. After a period of reassessment I have returned to working predominantly with the figure which has always been a constant throughout my art career. My drawings concern power and force, capturing strength as well as beauty of the human form. Close interaction of figures creates a powerful intimacy and tension. My starting points vary. Sometimes it will be the sculptural forms created by bone, muscle and sinew other times the raw energy and power of movement are my starting point and the marks I put down on paper echo the force of the opposing players or the intimacy of dance or combat.. The medium of Graphite, pastels and charcoal allows fluid and dynamic strokes whilst allowing me to create an almost physical quality in the definition of the figures. Within my ink and colour work I will often try to capture the speed of the action though the fluidity of the medium.