I was brought up in the mountains of South Wales and then moved to live on the south east coast of Ireland beside the sea. Coming from a country background I have a fascination of colours and textures in nature which I try to connect in my work.
I am interested in the texture and perspective in painting, using mainly oil paints, combined with pencil drawing and ink to create an atmosphere, constantly experimenting using different mediums. I work on large stretched canvases and board, which I try to make myself, to me this adds to the aesthetic development and context of the paintings.
The development of my paintings come from research of an idea, memory of a place. The initial ideas built up through photos, drawings and text, an observation of textures and colour, in the stone, wood or material, these are then translated into drawings and sketches, colour experiments and eventually a painting.
My father was a stone mason working on the national monuments in England and Wales, on castles and churches, surrounded by mountains and fields, this is where I got the love for the texture and colour, of stone and wood and also working with him outside surrounded by nature, only to move back to Ireland to the beaches and dunes of our coastal village, the sounds and colours of the sea, sand and grasses, it is this contrast of landscapes and nature that will always be part of my work.
I have an interest in Calligraphy and traditional Celtic Knot work having taught myself from studying various books and manuscripts, from “The Book of Kells” and other Celtic Illustrations to Japanese Traditional Art. These I combine into paintings, illustrating lines or passages from books.
I am influence by many artists but am constantly reading and researching new ones, the works of monks, who illustrated the Book of Kells, illustrated manuscripts such as the Lindisfarne Gospels and many other Celtic stories illustrated in the medieval age.
I paint towards a general audience and for my own enjoyment, constantly changing ideas and techniques.
Every day is a new discovery.
