Awaken at Sunrise Print

Most of my inspiration comes from bicycle or motorbike rides, out in the countryside, where I see things that delight me, a mixture of skyscape and landscape, light, colours and a little intrigue. I take some photographs to work from, as I like to include lots of detail. Sometimes several pieces come from one experience. I have always admired Turner’s work for the depiction of light, but it was being introduced to David Hockney’s work that gave me permission to be as colourful as I am. The combination of this and discovering Sennelier oil pastels, meant that I began to produce work that I was really pleased with. I love the fact that they are like working with oil paint, and that each colour has its own texture. You can use a brush if you dilute them, but I prefer to blend them with a piece of wood on the paper, and then scrape or scratch, with a palette knife, where minute detail is needed. I can easily alter what I have drawn, and if I plan ahead, I can make strokes with one colour, overlay it, and then reveal it by scraping off the top layer to create lighter detail underneath. So I am in fact, drawing with oils. My aim is to show detail in every area, so that wherever the viewer gazes they can see detail in the picture. Unlike a photograph where the photographer decides upon a single area of focus, you decide which area you wish to look at carefully, and have the satisfaction of being able to see what’s happening wherever you look. People say my pictures are 3-dimensional, that you feel as though you can walk right into them, look around and explore. That’s what I want you to feel, welcome to my colourful world!