40 x 40 in
My paintings tell their own stories.
They are like a diary of my life, each brushstroke, each drip a form of my visual language. I paint with awareness, but the brush marks do a lot of the work on their own. It is a conversation between my mind, hand and body.
It always starts with trees, usually in my local park.
I am obsessed with certain ones, especially Acers but also Willows and The London Plane. They have such beautiful, shaped leaves and are wonderful to paint.
Looking through the leaves and branches, towards the light, I take a photograph, sensing an opportunity to get a good image to paint from.
The metals and colours I paint with, and on, come to me quite instinctively. Sometimes I might see something online or in an exhibition. I look for textures, a feeling and if satisfied I do some small studies to try things out.
When making a painting, I have my chosen surface and colour mixed prepared and ready to paint.
I have to remind myself to let go, allow the brush marks to glide and dance on their own and not try to control things too much.
I want my paintings to feel like a form of exuberant expression and freedom and hopefully they give people looking at my work a sense of joy and escape.
