FLOWING ON Painting

I was born in Surrey, January 1962 and came to live in Wiltshire in 2011. Wiltshire, with its open chalk hills and wide valleys covered with hardy grasslands, provides the unique landscape that inspires me. The occasional tree dotted on the horizon accentuates the clean line between the earth and the sky. The feeling of freedom and being on top of the world is my inspiration. I strive to make uplifting art that inspires a feeling of space and movement. The paintings are mainly abstracted Wiltshire landscapes using the shapes and colours given by the hedgerows and fields. I will adapt what I see for composition, interest and balance. The layers of paint will leave a hint of what was laid down before giving depth to the work. An abstract work will start with a chosen set of colours made up into pots for speed and even colour distribution. Making up pots of colours also helps when working on a series. I have a good-size canvas on the easel which gives me plenty of room to move around. I start by liberally applying the colours to the canvas watered down to create translucent, thin washes of colour. The paint will move and mix on the canvas, flowing naturally making drips and almost bare patches. During the build-up of the works, I will use charcoal to add character and shape some marks will stay and some will be covered. As the layers are added the paint is applied thicker, impasto using mediums high pigment acrylic paints and eventually, purposeful marks are made sparingly. These last marks are one of the best parts of making the painting. The colours are dense and opaque, the joy of seeing the colours dance together is wonderful. The looser the work the larger the brushes and tools I will use. The semi-abstract landscapes are made in much the same way but will use the influence of shape and perspective to create the work. My paintings have a high horizon to exaggerate the perspective in the landscape. The style I have adopted lends itself very well to the open landscapes of the Devon and Cornish moors and my surrounding Wiltshire landscape, which I love. I aim to remove the recognisable, to leave an instinctive feel, provoking thought and understanding of a moment, place or emotion.