Leavers Artwork

​I have practiced as an Artist from a young age and after graduating from Cheltenham Art College in 1985 I supported my practice by working as a Graphic and Theatre Designer in London. In 1991 I left London, returning to my home town of Worcester where I continued to work, mainly on privately commissioned Murals. In 1994 I moved to Newport South Wales where I received a PGCE enabling me to teach Art and Design and Life drawing at tertiary level as well as in the community. since 2010 I have practiced as an Artist full time. ​My work as an artist is centred around painting and drawing and model making. As a student I was strongly influenced by Giorgio de Chirico and decided to work from memory and the imagination. I was interested in dreams and often drew and painted directly from them.  The work of de Chirico and Paul Nash made me aware of the 'Spirit of Place' and I took inspiration from the Severn Valley between Worcester, Cheltenham and Malvern. I continue to draw and paint this wonderful, evocative landscape. ​My interest in  life drawing began at art college and I use the figure to tell stories in drawings, using humour, narrative and irony. ​My figure drawings and paintings show people in moments of tenderness and fragility. ​Working from memory enables me to tell stories with figures and I am a keen observer of everyday life. ​Many of my drawings have an erotic quality while others show tragedy and human suffering. ​Since childhood I have been fascinated by church bells and bell towers. This unusual interest began when I paid a visit to the bell tower at Worcester Cathedral. For a number of years I have been building models of bell towers in the same scale as dolls houses (1/12" scale). The models are constructed from Balsa wood and contain clocks which strike the hours and half hours. ​I have built model landscapes with railways and rivers, farms and allotments based on the area I used to explore as a child. The models are photographed and in some cases serve as the backdrops for photography and short films. ​The bell towers with their swinging bells and clocks, function as real towers' the largest so far reached 18 feet high! ​ As with painting and drawing, the models are memories of real places and events.  ​   ​It is an honour to  have the ability and single mindedness required to be an Artist. It is not always easy it is certainly not always a certain path to material reward.