A contemporary painter, I paint both still-life and sea/landscapes. My still-life paintings use much loved ordinary everyday objects, where I paint directly from life, whilst at the same time distorting perspective and building on a strong structural design. In contrast my land & seascape work is intuitive, working from memories and imagination, inspired by places I know well and feel connected to – the Yorkshire coast, the Peak district, the north coast of Wales and holidays spent in the Mediterranean. In both subjects my concern and interest is in exploring and creating a visual language. My main medium is oil, but I also like to use a wide range of materials including charcoal, acrylic, ink and pastel. Building layers, brush marks, gestural marks, drips, splashes, scratches, thin washes through to the juicy thickness of impasto, the wonder and joy of colour.
My influences are many, some of them include; Elizabeth Blackadder, Joan Miro, Henry Matisse, Joan Eardley and Winifred Nicholson.
Born in Glasgow, as a child I lived in numerous parts of the UK. I graduated in Fine Art from Trent polytechnic, Nottingham in the eighties and worked as a graphic designer before running a mural business for several years. Having settled in Sheffield I work from my home studio, exhibiting regularly with several galleries. My paintings are held in private collections throughout the UK, Europe and America.
I am a tutor and co-founder of Nether Edge Art School alongside artist/teacher Su Bodnar.
Current galleries where you can find my work are Cupola Contemporary Art, Sheffield, Silson Contemporary, Harrogate, Cambridge Contemporary Art and The McEwan Gallery, Aberdeenshire.
