BA(Hons) Degree Fine Art; Stourbridge College of Technology & Art 1982-1985 Artist’s Statement

The paintings are generally abstract and about themselves whilst at the same time having the atmosphere or sense of the landscapes I visit. The main body of my work is based on the Dorset Landscape and the Isle of Purbeck features prominently. I know Dorset inside out and I work hard to achieve the point where my paintings remind me of places where I love to be. Although I visit and walk other parts of the country and make paintings of these areas, Devon and Cornwall for example, these paintings are more representational than the Dorset paintings and tend to be ‘of’’ places rather than ‘about’ them.

I have a vast awareness and understanding of the great outdoors and although landscape obviously plays its part, imposing itself on the finished piece, the underlying subject which is central to the successful conclusion of a work, is the mechanics of painting itself. It’s my engagement with formal considerations, which ensures that the painting is complete, form is crucial to a resolved composition.