Summer in Old Leigh Painting

I impressionistic coastal, urban and landscape scenes. Within each painting I aim to create a portrait of a particular moment with a sense of the life and atmosphere of that particular time. My work is created from my experience of looking and observing the world around me, choosing subjects and places that appeal to me, often I’m inspired by the effects of light on different surfaces. I either work directly in front of my subject painting “en plein air” or I take reference photos and make sketch and then work from these. Sometimes I'll use a combination of these methods. I'm fortunate to live on the Essex coast near the Thames Estuary which offers me a vast array of inspiring subjects locally as well as giving me easy access to London and the South East of England. I hope that people connect with my work in a way that is personal to them. A big influence on my work has been the work over the last fifteen years has been the work of impressionists with their emphasis on observing and painting modern life from direct observation and with an emphasis on recording atmosphere and light with lively brushwork. I’ve always lived in England and was born in Midlands and then my moved family to Essex when I was 8 years old. In the early 1980’s I moved to London and went to Camberwell Art School in South London and stayed living in various parts of London for 17 years until we moving back to Southend on Sea over 20 years ago. Through out my life I’ve been influenced by various artists and explored a wide range of approaches within my own painting. I started with observational painting, then explored abstraction, surrealism and fantasy until returning to impressionistic observations around 20 years ago. At times artists as diverse as Turner, Hockney, Rembrandt, Matisse, Picasso, Vermeer, Paula Rego and Sorrolla, have all been an influence in some way. Over the last 10 years the resurgence in plein air painting in England with artists such as Peter Brown leading the way has been as much an influence as anything else. I mostly work with traditional oil paints on rigid panels. I enjoy the extended drying times oils offer allowing me ample time to manipulate the paint. They are also resistant to the occasional rain shower which in our climate can be very useful! I prefer working on a rigid surface such as a gesso primed board or a canvas tacked to a rigid board as they are then much less vulnerable to transportation damage.