Although I like to use many different media, drawing is the foundation of my work. I am consistently painting directly from life models and also using my drawings as the basis for more abstract work. The landscape and coastline of Hampshire and Dorset are also a big influence on my work. There is an ongoing series of birch tree paintings in the New Forest observing the seasonal colour changes and light through the year. Winter holds a particular interest for me, as the colours are so related and subtle with the white birch trunks like bleached bones standing out in stark contrast.

My work is mainly developed in series using several sketchbooks concurrently and the ideas are explored across them all. I work instinctively and very fast, most of my paintings are completed in one session. The “Birches” Series are painted using a palette knife in Oil or Acrylic. I use Artist quality water based Oils, which I find are as good to handle as conventional oil paints. The advantage being there are no toxic fumes, so are ideal for workshops or group sessions. They can also be cleaned with water very easily so are better for the environment.

The current “Watercolour on Gesso” work grew out of a previous “Figure into Landscape” series. This started as an examination of the connection between the human figure and landscape forms. I have always been interested in the methods used by artists working on frescos, particularly Michelangelo, so I started experimenting with gesso grounds and various permutations of pigment and types of gesso. I then became fascinated with the properties of watercolour pigments and their interaction with an applied gesso ground on mount board. The pigment flows, granulates and can be controlled, manipulated by rotating and dropping more water or stronger pigment onto the surface. There is also an element of suspense, which I enjoy and a certain point at which intervention in the process stops and the medium asserts itself.