About.. the work

A longstanding interest in the human figure and life drawing underpins my work. Observation drawing of the figure is the most demanding and rigorous discipline for an artist, and this eye-training gives a confidence to my approach whether swiftly executed sketches, or painting large-scale canvasses.

Figures in movement were a natural progression from life studies, with many works based on drawings of dancers in rehearsal. Some of these are graphic networks of lines, tracing the sequence of a movement, rather than a frozen snapshot of one stage of it. The superimposed images create new shapes, with an interplay of solid forms and spaces between.

My work based on horses show a similar emphasis in treatment. The muscular structure dictates the play of light and shade, and the underlying anatomy together with the associations of power and speed lend themselves to my painterly approach. As well-proportioned and athletic animals, they have been subject-matter for artists since Paleolithic times, and I enjoy visiting galleries to work in my sketchbook in front of masterpieces from past centuries, from Tang horses in the V & A, to Rubens paintings in The National Gallery. The inclusion of a figure and its relationship to the horse gives another dynamic to the subject, and introduces varied psychological elements. I try to explore the aspects of competition, co-operation, tension and power as well as the obvious dramatic possibilities of speed.

In the landscapes and seascapes, I have tried to imagine, in some of them, how a bird might perceive the land below as it constantly changes its angle and height, and how these multiple viewpoints could fuse into a different layout, with several horizons at tilted angles. The mixed media drawings incorporate torn fragments of heavy cotton rag paper to give texture to the dark, rich colours of the ground., which contrast with the ever-changing open skies. The paintings show a similar approach, with the suggestions of birds in flight breaking up the sky. I hope these images strike a chord in anyone who knows the high fells of Northumberland, and its stunning coastline.