View from The Maiden Way, Parkfell Painting

This painting is of the Cumbrian fells, in particular Park Fell from the Roman road known as The Maiden Way. It was painted in lockdown, between April and May 2020 and shows the isolation and remoteness of a place like Alston Moor - reflective of the unique situation we were in. I make my work from a combination of first hand observational drawings and paintings in the open air, backed up by photos as aide memoirs back in the studio, as well as imagination to produce a final piece on canvas using mixed media, a combination of oil paint, non-recyclable plastics either collaged or ‘soldered’ onto the canvas, and pastel. I want people to enjoy my images and to perhaps re look at their own environment through a more vibrant lens, but then on closer inspection to discover the different materials on the canvas and ask questions as to why I use plastic; why it is there. I want the discovery of plastic on the canvas to be as subtle as it is in the environment – not really understanding its greater impact at first, but when given the time to contemplate its wider effects, to think beyond the surface, beyond the beauty.