Robert Mountjoy
I was born in Bideford, grew up in Appledore and attended Bideford Grammar School. I trained in Cheltenham, read for a degree at Bristol and taught for 40+years.
All of my work is developed from observational drawing. I do quick sketches - brief notes ‘in the field’, which I may complete later when in easier surroundings.
In the studio I often rework and enlarge my drawings. Through this process I re-engage with the subject, deepen my understanding and consider a response.
I do not set out with any fixed intentions - I select the subject and start drawing; in a way it is an artists’ way of ‘reading around the subject’. I let instinct lead the development of ideas. I aim to find the key elements of the subject, order them and present them through an image or a set of images.
Most of my recent work has developed as drawings in two stages followed by a series of paintings in acrylic on prepared board.
