Ancient Blackamoor Drawing

The Pennine moorlands provide the visual stimulus which motivates and informs my paintings. The rich colour and texture of the land is enhanced by the Pennines' unique quality of light and the atmospherics of seasonal wind and weather. The paintings reflect the close contact I've had with the land through fell running in all conditions, day and night! It is interesting to explore how the colour and texture of paint and the many ways of applying it to create a surface can relate to the colour and texture of "wild,land". The paintings are created using many applications of soft glazes over heavy, gestural marks. Their colour, texture and gestural timbre aim to resonate with the vitality of the land as well as the timeless sense of numinous beauty ancient land can evoke. Dark land and diffused light are keynotes of the imagery.