About the artist.
The inspiration for my painting comes from the world around me. Things seen kick off my imagination and initiate the process of interpretation. Initially I draw or paint directly from the landscape as a response to that which impinges upon my eye. Later some of these observations become a starting point for paintings which have undergone an intuitive refining process and moved into a new area of expression.
These are my contemporary paintings.
Looking at the landscape from above renders the three dimensional into a linear form immediately. Roads, rivers and hedges become lines on the landscape whilst woods and buildings become shapes within those lines. The painting therefore is a result of a configuration of painted areas and marks made on the canvas or paper.
I find myself responding similarly to groups of people or even individuals. They become a collection of colours, tones and textures divided or even contained by lines, sometimes merging or standing out from their backgrounds.
Fascinating also is the texture and colour of decay and weathering on old surfaces. Cracks are particularly visually exciting in that they, on the one hand divide, but also focus attention. They break up what was once whole into smaller parts thus giving each single part an individual identity. But because cracks or lines travel, the eye follows along, and in so doing the mind reconnects the parts into a new whole.
My unique paintings represent this new whole.
Acrylic paint, polymer modelling paste and gold or silver leaf are the mediums which best allow me the opportunity to examine and re-present my interpretation of reality.
I have painted professionally since 1990 and held or shared many successful exhibitions.
In 2001 I was elected a member of Manchester Academy of Fine Art of which there are only 122 elected members and in 2005 I was elected to the Academy council.
I count myself fortunate to be an artist and I am constantly excited by the prospect of creating paintings which push the barriers and make a contribution to the development of art.
