I was born over 60 years ago in the northern English town of Halifax, which means
I’ve painted and drawn for over half my life. There have been huge changes in my
life during this time , and as I have changed so has my painting.
Every time I sit down to paint, all these things sit inside me. As I start, an internal
switch takes me on a path of discovery where things appear in my minds eye, it is
no longer words or even conscious thinking, it is my language of how I experience
life. Watercolour paint on paper, Oil on canvas or panel, these are the materials I use to
create the images, It gives me freedom, no one formally taught me, and I have no
rules. I create a nest where I can listen to a cricket match or music and allow
myself to fall into my imagination. I set myself challenges to overcome, I play loud
music when I have a thousand leaves to paint and curse myself for not making
things easier for myself. I want every painting to be perfect and jewel like , but
always I’ll find a flaw, no one else will see it , but its that flaw which is the seed for
the next image, a doorway to the next step.
The cast of characters expand and contract, change colour, shape and meaning,
all is in flux but each painting seems so specific, yet when looked at the following
day can convey something very different. The meaning is in the eye of the
beholder, and theirs to explore.
When Im asked what my paintings are like, I tell them I call them illustrations for an
unwritten book, I use images and colour instead of words. My influences and
inspiration come from many directions. Miniature painting from Asia and
illuminated manuscripts, remembered children’s books. I am influenced by, and /
or love, so many different artists, people, places and things that untangling them
into a list is impossible. I include the quote below because it sums up for me the joy of painting and the life it has given me.
“Somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond” - e e cummings
Exhibitions in the UK, Sri Lanka, USA, India since 1993