Having previously run an interiors business for 9 years I decided, in 2000 to fulfil a lifelong wish to take up painting. After completing an Art and Design Foundation diploma in 2002 I started painting from my studio in Cheshire.
I am represented by several galleries in the UK including London and St Ives. My work has also been exhibited internationally and my work has been sold in New York, Asia and South Africa.
I take inspiration from the landscape around me, whether rural, coastal or urban and am particularly interested in capturing the essence of a place – the weather, the light and the atmosphere. I work by taking photographs, making quick sketches of a place and then taking these back into the studio to create paintings.
I also like to do still lifes which are in complete contrast to the landscapes, sometimes using mixed media and collage.
I work in various mediums including acrylic and oil paint, ink and sometimes collage and use techniques such as scratching and rubbing into the paint, applying the paint with brushes, finger tips and palette knives. Sometimes layers of paint underneath are revealed during the process giving the painting depth and interest.
My paintings start from a source of inspiration such as a photo or sketch but the physical process of painting becomes the dominant factor, with controlled experimentation and risk taking often leading the painting off in a different direction from the original source.