When people ask me, “When did you start painting?” or, “What got you interested in art?” I have to reply, that I simply don’t know! It’s something that I have always done and always felt passionate about. When I look back at my childhood, I can remember wanting to stay late at nursery and primary school to finish my painting and if I remember correctly, I took the specialised art of ‘drawing on walls’ to a new level. Nothing was safe, rugs, carpets, loo rolls and much to my parent’s dismay, a fantastic collage of fruit peels on a warm radiator. Despite this my family have always encouraged and supported me, which was possibly the most important factor in me becoming an artist.
During my years at Felsted in Essex, my main interest was always in the art room. Although I was by no means the best painter or draughtsman of the year, it was something that I felt confident with and had great enthusiasm for.
After leaving school I continued to paint and draw and developed a...
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n interest in the history of painting. This interest led me to apply to my local college to study an art course. Rembrandt, Van-Gogh and Delacroix were particular favourites of mine.
Although at college I had the opportunity to spend each day drawing and painting, I found it frustrating and felt pressured into finding the appeal in modern art. Pop art, abstract expressionism and the like were the expected food for thought and words such as ‘Neo-Classicism’ and ‘Pre-Raphaelite’ were as good as banned. This experience is something that I have shared with other artists, and perhaps it is not a bad thing as by refusal, my interest in the history of painting was spurred onwards, and I would now place Mark Rothko and other abstract expressionists high on my list of favourites!
On completion of my college course, I really wanted to find some sort of employment that would make use of my skills. Unfortunately I couldn’t afford to take my education any further, so whilst still drawing and painting at every given opportunity, I had a go at many jobs including removals, parcel delivery, waiting, gardening, office work etc. This went on until one day, whilst holding some art classes at a local primary school, I came across a small local business who specialised in Theme restaurants. My sights were set and I continually pestered the manager until he gave me the opportunity to design a mural for them. Before long I had secured a job doing what I had always wanted to do – painting. I stayed with the company for the next few years after which I found the confidence to start painting for private sales. I set up a studio and began working from home, whilst still producing commercial work, murals and large-scale commissions for many different businesses. I could happily spend every spare minute devoted to my fascination of art. When people ask me if it’s hard to make a living from a hobby? I simply reply, “Painting has never been a hobby, it’s just what I do!”
IDEAS & INSPIRATIONS
Ideas and inspirations come from just about anywhere, from the ring left by the morning ‘cuppa’ to the light of an evening sunset.
With my most recent landscape paintings, the idea is a simple one. The inspiration comes from my local landscape. When I first moved to the east coast I found the landscapes frustrating. Where are the landmarks? Where are the mountains that I loved as a child in Wales? Where are the rushing streams and the wooded glens?
There are none of these where I live now. The landscape has been almost entirely claimed by agriculture and modern housing developments dot the skyline, but now I have learned to love the land that surrounds me. The changes in the colours throughout the year from partly flooded fields of flint and mud in winter to seas of billowing wheat fields in the summer. I have come to realise that it is not what you see, but how you see it. A line of trees preceded by an open field can be the most haunting of landscapes, when for just a moment, maybe from the corner of your eye the light throws deep shadows and there is possibly a small spark of something eternal and ultimately peaceful and then almost as quickly as you noticed it, the sky moved and the memory of that is all that you have.
My affinity towards the effect that sunlight can have was sparked while doing a commission for a local charity. I was sitting on the bank of a river, desperately trying to paint and draw a lock which the charity hoped to restore, (being an admirer of John Constables’ paintings I had leapt at the opportunity, as it was from this very spot that he had painted ‘the young Waltonians’) but the weather was against me, it rained, then it snowed, hailed and rained again and above all it was bitterly cold. Suddenly though, without any prior warning, the sunlight burst through the clouds and lit the landscape in a deep gold colour. Where I had previously been looking at cold greys and blues, pinks and oranges had suddenly replaced them. Greens became vivid and there seemed to be a sense behind what I couldn’t see before. Then just as I reached for a new palette, it was gone and the rain returned. I have been trying to paint that moment ever since!
FROM PALETTE TO PICTURE
When at work in the studio I like to keep things as simple as possible. I choose a basic palette of primary colours, burnt sienna and white, the last two I seem to use in vast quantities. I prefer to work in oil paint, not only for its well-stood tradition, but its ease of use. I rarely have patience that is required for watercolours and have developed a kind of love-hate relationship with acrylics. I greatly admire people who work with these mediums on a day-to-day basis.
I prepare the ground upon which I am to work and finish it in sienna, sanguine or an ochre shade. This serves two purposes. Firstly, I find the task of starting work much easier; there’s nothing worse than the feeling of being confronted by a large pure white surface. Secondly, I like to use these ground colours to shine through the layers I place over them. In landscape paintings I use very little red in my palette and lay thin glazes of grey and blue over a coloured ground creating the ‘purple-pink’ effect. The foreground, again has to be under painted, but I may lay a thicker ground by using a dry-brushing technique in ultramarines and sienna or simply applying the paint in thick lashes by brush. This helps to build the texture. I build the foreground to hopefully give the impression of a breeze blowing over a field or light dancing on an evening scene. I use a combination of techniques to create the moods and light in my paintings. The only problem is, I keep running out of paint!
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF...
I find that starting the day with a few drawings and exercises can help, and a few moments of quiet contemplation are vital along with several cuppas. Then when the palette is ready (it can take some time to mix the colours that I want to use and several more cups of tea!). I begin work, normally accompanied by music or the radio and of course a hot cup of tea.
On occasion there are a few obstacles to overcome, “artists block” which can be overcome with tea and few drawings, and, mess - no matter how tidy I try to make the studio I always end up with the same limited amount of working space, where do all those empty cups come from? But above all, time is the biggest obstacle, as there never seems to be enough of it. The danger point arrives at about 7pm. Dinner at this point normally calls an end to the days work, but if I allow myself to start work again in the evenings I find it almost impossible to stop.
If I start a painting, I like to see it through to a conclusion, as upon returning to work I find that my ideas have changed and I start a battle, which may never end.I have many paintings I have been working on for well over a year, some much longer!
