There is something intriguing about the contrast of certainty in its geological formations and the ethereal quality of change brought on by the ever-changing weather here in the Lakes.
Working here in such close proximity to these broiling skies and changing light enables me to paint an atmosphere experienced — a mood felt, rather than a literal depiction of the land.
My painting process is intuitive. I mainly work from memory, often without preliminary sketches or photos. Indeed my starting point for a painting is often a walk, although what comes out in a painting can be rooted in something seen days or weeks previously.
When I approach a piece of work I often have a feeling of mood and colour pallet in mind but from there on I will allow the painting to find its own way out, working with it to search out the opportunities it gives. Some paintings are built up in layers and are scratched back into to reveal some history and create texture, others are completed alla prima. Composition plays a huge part in a piece of work but often isn’t fully realised until the very last stages of painting - as if it emerges from the shadows and mists and takes form. This is the point when I usually know a piece is finished.
Inspired by the beautiful, diverse environment of my Lakeland home, my artwork is tethered to the drama of the landscape around me.