biography
“It was by an unconventional route that I came to be a professional painter…..
My interest in art began when my parents bought a print in Boots – one of those rather garish images of a lake and mountains with fishing boats and trees, set in an indeterminate, sunny land. I loved that print and it set me off on a long and interesting journey.
During my teenage years, that journey took me to many places where art could be found – galleries, antique shops, auction rooms. The interest soon became an obsession and I began to build a collection of old watercolours and oil paintings. Original work could still be bought for a song and I loved the thrill of unearthing bargains in second-hand shops and auctions.
Over the years, I continued buying and selling paintings whenever I could. At one stage, I ran a small commercial gallery which allowed me to indulge my passion further. I was often asked if I painted myself. I usually replied that I had no idea how to paint, and was reluctant to attempt work that would pale by comparison with the work of artists I admired.
In midlife I decided to try new things, and felt the time had come to venture into painting. Nervous of plunging in at the deep end, I wanted to learn to draw first and began attending a life drawing class. For two years I used nothing but charcoal. Then one summer, I went on a short painting holiday in Italy. From that moment, I knew that I wanted to paint. Charcoal was replaced by pastels, the human form by landscapes. Black and white became colour.
Back at home, I spent time painting landscapes around my Devon home. Gradually, I went further afield and fell in love with St Ives and the Penwith coastline. I often came back from weekend visits armed with material for pastels of harbour and sea. I had always been fascinated by unusual lighting effects – sparked originally by the work of Claude Lorraine, Cuyp, Turner, Constable and Victorians such as Grimshaw and Pether.
Now, in Cornwall, I found a source of ever-changing light and its magical effects on water and landscape. At the same time, I was able to feed my continuing interest in artists of past and present in the galleries of St Ives. The work of contemporary Cornish artists such as Judy Buxton and Rose Hilton became a real motivation in developing my own work.
Ten years later in 1997, having tested the market with several small-scale exhibitions, I decided to leave the world of education which had been my living and become a full-time professional artist. Since then, I have exhibited in galleries throughout the country and have found a ready market among collectors for my work.
That first trip to Italy ignited a passion for the country which has resulted in many return visits and for some time my pastels were almost exclusively of Venice and Tuscany. I also began painting in oils. But whilst the pastels tend to be more controlled and formal, the oils swirl and refuse to be tamed! I love the smell and the feel of the paint, using palette knife with thick impasto marks. More recently, I have returned to subjects nearer to my home and studio, developing my interest in the landscape of Devon. In the last year or so, to complete the circle, my work has also been published in limited edition prints.
I have never enjoyed writing about my own painting. For one thing, I find that my style is constantly evolving, making description only temporary. For another, I much prefer to let the paintings speak for themselves. I hope that, from time to time, one of my paintings or prints will motivate someone else to begin a similar journey”.