I find the need to express my delight in what I see daily irresistible.
My love of walking has a huge impact on my work. I always have my sketch-book with me and concentrate on specific views that catch my eye – often it can be a response to the weather that day, the light and shadows, the seasons, the structure of the land or the intensity of the vegetation.
I often re-visit favourite views and make new drawings for every new painting. I find this keeps my work fresh and I always find new details.
I paint in oils, usually on canvas but I also use handmade paper for smaller images.
My love of walking has a huge impact on my work. I always have my sketch-book with me and concentrate on specific views that catch my eye – often it can be a response to the weather that day, the light and shadows, the seasons, the structure of the land or the intensity of the vegetation.
I often re-visit favourite views and make new drawings for every new painting. I find this keeps my work fresh and I always find new details.
I paint in oils, usually on canvas but I also use handmade paper for smaller images.
I always prime my canvases with raw umber underpainting which provides a depth and intensity of colour I can't achieve on a white background. I draw my images in charcoal and getting the composition balanced at this stage is crucial to my finished work. I aim for a structural accuracy that ensures the landscape has strength and credibility.
When I place the paint on the umber background it immediately glows, shimmers. I’ve always loved stained glass and I aim for a balance of colour and shape. I want to shed light on the landscape, to light up a room.
Framing my work is important as I feel it enhances my images helping attain an almost jewel-like quality.
My framing by http://4mattframers.weebly.com