Painter inspired by the sea, beaches, atmospheric skies and landscapes of Norfolk
about
I live in Norfolk near the East coast, which provides me with inspirational landscapes and coastal scenes to paint. I'm lucky to have a large garden as well and love observing and painting the constant changes through each season.
I concentrated on pottery in my early 20's, but was always busy with a sketchbook and have been a painter for many years now.
Working 'en plein air' is always motivating and often challenging, but I do lots of work in my studio as well, using mainly oils or acrylics.
I often start by covering a blank canvas with random marks, which usually become part of the finished work. Sometimes the mark making takes over and the picture goes in unexpected and unplanned directions. I limit the colours I use on each work in order to aid cohesion, but of course a myriad colours can be mixed from very few.
My work is partly representational, but the colours and marks often have much more to do with feelings and emotions than what is actually in front of me. Also my memories of place and time are strongly linked to a sense of colour and pattern. I seem to be moving more towards abstraction, particularly in my sketchbooks.
Sketchbook Images
PAINTING DURING LOCKDOWN:
I am a member of the West Norfolk Artists Association and recently wrote this for the monthly 'Update' to members:
We have all had such different experiences during lockdown. It would be interesting to compare how this has affected our creativity and motivation and I had a real 'block'. Almost in desperation I joined a free online course suggested in 'Update' - Louise Fletcher, 'Find your Joy' - and the very simple exercises she suggested bounced me right back to the way I love to work. I like working with other artists and doing courses, as we never stop learning as we go through life.
I would say my way of working is based on feelings, memories and emotions conjured up by my experiences and surroundings. If you've seen my paintings you will know that more often than not they are heavily influenced by my garden or by our wonderful Norfolk coastline. I focus on the process. This can lead me towards unexpected results, which I don't always expect to like!
So, even more than usual I have found myself considering and doing all the following:
Using all those materials I've been storing away since I did this or that course a few years ago. Don't hoard it, but be generous and splash it about!
Limiting the palette (which I always tend to do), but using colours I wouldn't normally choose. Again, often left over from sets of paint given as a gift or as part of a course. I'm sure we've all got lots of unused colours.
I've run out of canvases during lockdown, so have been using anything to hand - old bits of board in the shed, printer paper etc. It's been good to work on a different scale and not worrying about what it all costs is very liberating. I've rediscovered old half empty sketchbooks and enjoyed filling the pages with experiments and notes, using different tools and media.
As I used to say to students when I was teaching, 'you can't get it wrong', even if you don't always like the results. Be prepared to fail, as this means you are taking risks and are more likely to be open to new ideas. But most of all enjoy yourself!
​
​
​
​
A Series of mixed media paintings on paper entitled 'DANCING DURING LOCKDOWN'
contact
Please get in touch if you would like to know more about my work, or if you are interested in buying a painting. I will quote a price to include delivery and if you are not entirely satisfied you can return the painting for a full refund.
I enjoy the challenge of a commission, so contact me if you enjoy my work and would like something special.
