Spring in the Woods Painting

I was born in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England in 1971 and was educated at Dinnington High School; later gaining a certificate in Humanities and an honours degree in Environmental Studies. Working as a graphic designer in a printing company provided a useful background in art, illustration, design and photography. Reprographics skills including painting light masks for lithographic films developed fastidious brushwork, particularly working in photographic darkrooms. Later working in the advertising department of a sports equipment manufacturer exposed me to the commercial world of digital art, advertising and design. Through the years I have always sketched and throughout I have developed painting skills by reproducing many paintings of the past to better understand the technique. I have experimented with different mediums, pastels, acrylic and have found oils to be my preference for working in the studio and particularly for landscapes and portraits. I have an eclectic mix of influences include John Constable and his landscape compositions, the Pre-Raphaelites, Van Gogh’s use of colour, Renoir’s brushwork and the decorative style of paintings by Henri Matisse. In 2005 I entered the Thoresby Open exhibition and was selected for inclusion in the main gallery and I also entered again in 2016 with equal success. I was selected for the Sky TV Landscape Artist of the Year competition in June 2016. Having followed my passion for a life by the sea I relocated to the North Yorkshire coast in 2019 and I currently work from home in my own artist’s studio in Folkton, Scarborough. I prefer to work ‘en Plein air’ and refine my artwork in the studio. Although my work is mainly based around landscapes, I have also produced numerous portraits. commissions are very welcome.