Put On Your Happy Face Painting

Working from my studio in Stroud, I have developed a style that I refer to as ‘Ghost Impressionism’, primarily achieved by applying oil with sponges, where the location becomes more recognisable than the people within. Translucent figures float through the paintings, reflecting our brief presence on Earth. My work has been curated in a Saatchi Art online exhibition and I was nominated for a Cotswolds Award for Artist of the Year. I am also a Cotswold Natural Mindfulness Guide, where I organise walks encouraging people to explore different perspectives. Experiencing nature in this way has inspired many of my artworks. 'Square Panoramas' - My current style of painting translates panoramic scenes into square images, thus creating a new visual language and enabling the viewer to experience fresh perspectives of known locations.  When joining Instagram, I discovered the best way to present my paintings was as square images. I enjoyed this challenge and found myself creating oil & charcoal portraits to suit these parameters - though at this point my landscape paintings just didn’t fit this format. When I had the idea of turning a panorama into a square, I began to realise it would have an instant dramatic effect. Like optical illusions, I understood that our eyes would adjust and accept this new perception of seeing 180° within a square. The artwork is inspired by my travels around Britain and Europe, the locations are – Paris, Nice, Eze, Florence, Pisa, Budapest, Amsterdam, London, Cheltenham & Bristol. I am currently represented by Montpellier Gallery, Stratford upon Avon.