My work is about looking, contemplation and absorbing a sense of time and place along with the evocation of fragmented memories of experiences.
My focus is upon translating personal experiences of places I have spent time in and recreating them pictorially with the intention of conveying sensations of moving through and around architectural spaces; from interior to exterior and from varying vantage points. The interplay between light and shadow that occurs throughout the day, the highlighting of shape and pattern, the subtlety and drama of colour changes brought about by fluctuating light on surface; these are the components of my work.
I begin from first hand experiences and support my evolving ideas with reference to my drawings and photographs, as well as the strong evocative memories and sensations of my subject, which I explore on the canvas and through a series of sketchbook drawings as my paintings develop. Colour, light, space and form are the elements at the core of my interest.
Prior to and following on from the "Lockdown” period, my work has evolved through my European and UK travel ventures. Visiting art galleries, museums, archaeological sites and other places of interest has been my habit for many years and this practise is central to my interest in the understanding of art and civilisation.
The impact of the limitations of lockdown travel has driven me to look more closely at my locale and my personal domestic environment which, in those first long months, lead to a series of paintings exploring the many journeys up and down my home staircases.
Living in a coastal town has challenged the creative processes which emerge from city travel experiences . The then obligatory, now habitual daily routine of walking and looking more closely at my immediate built environment has been the catalyst for a series of railway station inspired paintings.
With some normality resumed and wider travel possible once more, the past year has taken me to new cities and fresh experiences. From the railway station springboard, industrial landscape and the realm of structural engineering have taken me off on a slightly different tangent with a greater awareness of the beauty and magnificence of those achievements.
Whatever I paint results directly from the experiences of being in that place, be it historical or contemporary, so the starting point for working out the right visual language is constantly evolving. This is my perpetual challenge.
Biography
1970 Foundation course in Art and Design at Rochdale College
1971-1974 Studied Fine Art Sculpture at Bristol Polytechnic
1974-1975 Art Teacher Diploma at Sussex Square Brighton School of Education !975 - 2013 Head of Art and Design at Teignmouth Secondary School / (1978) Comprehensive School
2013 -Began to explore whether I could practice what I had been preaching for thirty eight years.
