Reclining Nude - after Matisse Painting

loose and spontaneous. In my paintings I use colour, form, and texture to create balanced compositions. I want my paintings have a balance and harmony that results from the handling of colour relationships, texture and vibrant brushwork, and from the careful, thoughtful, but sometimes serendipitous arrangement of form and colour. I want to create work that appeals to our visual senses, balancing form and colour in a way that attracts the viewer's attention, and perhaps holds their gaze long enough to allow them to engage with the painted surface. Generally, I steer away from realism but I continue the quest for satisfying portraits, mainly in oils. I still aim for a 'painterly' result, avoiding any desire to move towards a photo-realist approach. Many artists and movements have influenced my work, ranging from the St. Ives abstract artists to the Scottish Colourists, and I continue to take inspiration from the American expressionists as well as many contemporary British artists. My small abstract expressionist paintings. The main body of work is of an abstract expressionist genre. These small square format abstract paintings are intended to be uplifting and contemplative in nature. These painting are balanced by the handling of colour relationships, use of texture and vibrant brushwork. Although there are intended and accidental juxtapositions of colour, the resulting painting has a harmony that comes from the careful and thoughtful arrangement of form and colour. My abstract painting is visual evidence I have absorbed some life experience that is of interest and is in some way meaningful to me. The resulting abstract image may have had it's origin in remembered landscape, journey, or destination. The painting may be a response to a feeling at some time, or in some situation. I want my created work to interest the viewer to the extent that the image not only arouses there visual senses, but invites their thought processes to go on a journey of discovery. I hope that my expression within the painting provokes a response, any response really, active or passive, from the viewer. How the viewer interprets or translates the painted image is up to them, and shouldn't, need any explanation from me, but at the same time, I want the viewer to enjoy the process of looking and seeing. Creating a good abstract painting is hard work and my initial ideas can often result in failures.