About

My Story

I am a neurodiverse artist which probably explains why I create art in two strikingly different styles using widely differing media.

Lets think about oil painting first.....my enduring love is for oil painting, always inspired by the beautiful diverse natural world, my paintings are tethered to the drama of the landscape and the overwhelming power of weather.

I find something intriguing about the contrast between the land and the sky, that line on the far horizon. Where ever I go I find inspiration in the ever-changing weather, the broiling skies and light enables me to paint an atmosphere experienced — a mood felt, rather than a literal depiction of the land.

My painting process is intuitive. I mainly work from memory, but with sketches or photos. Often my starting point for a painting is a walk, although what comes out in a painting can be rooted in something seen days or even years in the past. My childhood spent on the Welsh coast is forever written into my art.

When I approach a piece of work I often have a feeling of mood and colour pallet in mind but from there on I will allow the painting to find its own way out, working with it to search out the opportunities it gives. Some paintings are built up in layers and are scratched back into to reveal some history and create texture, others are completed alla prima. Composition plays a huge part in a piece of work but often isn’t fully realised until the very last stages of painting - as if it emerges from the shadows and mists and takes form. This is the point when I usually know a piece is finished.

"My process more often than not begins a feeling - it's absolutely fundamental - nature, poetry, memory and sound play a big part in my art ... memory, for me, is incredibly powerful, especially childhood memories with there sense of freedom and empowerment.

At the beginning of a painting session I often use a few moments of meditation to revisit a memory, place or felling, this inspires colour and form. From there I let go and allow myself certain freedoms to travel through the narrative, to be in the journey itself. Whether I’m working on a landscape or an abstract piece, it’s this emotion that steers me through.

A huge notion for me is hope - not that I'm always full of it by any means, but being part of nature as we all are i suppose, I strive for light. Painting and indeed the creative process itself is, for me, a hopeful pursuit. And an inspiration in itself. Somewhere along the way, whilst fully immersed in a particular piece or collection, I feel myself move towards something enlightening. Ultimately towards a sense of calm, of hope. Although often symbolic or representational on a personal level, my work doesn't always depict a particular place or time, rather, I collect moments and experiences, pieces of sky and landscape, emotions and feelings relating to each... I store them inside until they re-surface during my painting process.".