ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Voluptuous

NATURE'S JEWELS SERIES

I like to describe my painting style as Poetic Realism. I aim to create a highly realistic image from afar, and then to have the abstracted texture and brushstrokes take over when one comes in close.

Nature's beauty and mystery are my inspiration. I am utterly amazed at the exquisite shapes, colours and luminosity of flower forms. There is a delicacy, yet an underlying great power of regeneration in their essence. .

I work from my own photos and from my imagination. Summertime bloom photoshoots are magical adventures of discovery for me! I paint with may layers of both transparent and opaque hues, building up a richness of colour and texture. I shift from thick paint applications to delicate touches, which creates a wonderful surface of lively brushstrokes to explore.

I hope that these paintings offer a joyful haven of contemplation, so welcome in this super-paced world.


PLANET SERIES

I have always held a fascination for the night sky and have marveled at deep space photos of our galaxy and of our place within the vast universe. It is a constant reminder to me of the preciousness of our home planet. The paintings in this series reflect that awesome reality.

I am combining my painted views of landscapes, close-up florals and planetary orbs, each within a spherical shape. These circled images echo their interconnectedness.

I paint with many glazes of both transparent and opaque hues, building up a richness of colour and texture. My work blends a highly realistic style with flowing abstract lines and exaggerated stratification of paint layers, often employing an underlayer of holographic foil that sparks through scratched lines in the subsequent paint overlays.


LANDSCAPE SERIES

My paintings are a celebration of nature and a recognition of the healing properties that its beauty offers us. In our frenetic world of today I feel that this is more important than ever, and that beauty can serve as an uplifting reminder of the preciousness of our planet.

In this landscape series I paint with many glazes of both transparent anmd opaque hues, building up a richness of both colour and texture. Beneath all I place a ground of holographic foil, etching flow lines that animate the canvas. Its colours shimmer and shift with changing surrounding light and viewing perspectives. My brushstrokes follow the realism of the landscape as well as revealing wild flowing passages. Working up the multiple layers of colour glazes brings me much joy as I watch the images appearing more fully with each stage of the process. I hope that I can transfer that feeling of delight to the viewer as they gaze at these evocative scenes.

I came across the idea that a painting can slow down time, that it is a gift of anti-speed, surely a healing balm in today’s world. The onlooker can wander through the painted landscape at leisure, following the colour changes, brushstrokes, perspectives and light effects, and be drawn into a timeless experience.


TREE SERIES

Watercolour and Acrylic

Trees are sentinels of the earth, witness to passing time, to change, but also to unending renewal. I am fascinated by their myriad forms, their patterns, colours and the aura of mystery that surrounds them. Each has it's own unique expression of life, and I strive to portray this vibrant quality and depth in my paintings. I aim to transform their living essence into painted creations that flow with their own life, drawing the viewer into wondrous reflections of our world.


Artist's Method

At first glance my paintings are highly realistic, yet I build them as abstract constructions. My creative process begins with the camera, as I compose each subject to capture a sense of both balance and drama. These photos are used as my working models for the paintings to follow.

I fully use the expressive nature of watercolour, encouraging combinations of granulation, flow and transparency to build images of jewel-like layers of colour and richness. I search for the patterns of underlying energy, aiming to capture the mysterious essence of all that surrounds us in nature.


ECHO CAIRN SCULPTURES

These sculptures titled Echo Cairns, continue the ongoing theme of Echoes that I have been fascinated with for many years. I explore the relationship between the magic of millions of years old minerals and miniature painted landscapes. Each echoes the other in colour and mood, creating a shared visual play and dialogue.

I am stacking these minerals, combining them with sculptural mixed media elements and accents of Venetian glass murine. The colours, forms and emerging spirit of each sculpture then inspire my miniature painted landscapes placed within and enhanced by the structure of the crystals.

I aim to beckon the viewer into a condensed world of beauty expressed by the glittering crystals and the dreamlike landscapes


ECHOES SERIES

Acrylic on Panel with Natural Crystals

This series has evolved as a very personal expression of landscapes that I encounter. These images are my deeply felt views of Nature, both seen and hidden.

I am inspired to paint these panoramas real and imagined, by the beauty and mystery of these ancient crystals, formed billions of years ago deep inside our planet.

I am seduced by the grandeur and the fragility of Nature and by the infinitely changing display of life that surrounds us. As I glaze layer upon layer of transparent paint, I am on a quest to create a visual image of this reverence.

I lose myself in the dance between my painted landscapes and the ever mysterious natural crystal formations. A resonance of abstract poetic echoes between the two is my goal.

Artist's Method

I choose natural crystals that have especially beautiful markings, colours and textures. I am inspired by the stone to paint a land view that creates a visual flow between the two. Each painting is built by layering many glazes of acrylic colour on wood panel, producing a brilliant depth to the image. The crystals and paintings each have their own complex character - one from the artist's hand, the other from the earth.

I have framed the paintings and sculptural chunks of minerals together in deep Shadowbox frames. These heighten the overall 3-dimensionality of the compositions in a dramatic way, with each frame chosen for its contribution to the overall colour theme.