Aquarius Painting

Exploring visually bodies in water makes up the bulk of my work. Due to the subject matter I take most of my reference photos in Summer, these shape my direction throughout the year as I explore what I have captured. The subsequent direction can be a fluid process as I take thousands of shots at each shoot and despite what I have planned, the unexpected moments caught are often the most exciting. I love to push the angles, finding a specific moment and then exploring the light and shadows in paint, how the play of water across the skin affects the colours, and the distortion of reflections from both under and above the water. My aim is to recreate the physical memory of being in the water for whoever is veiwing the painting. This year I have been including inflatables into my work, I love the solidity of colour and shape in contrast to the the variables of the water. In Aquarius particuarly, the way the colour bounces off the model's face and body and forms a frame around her as she emerges through the middle of it.