Contemporary Landscape Painter
Fishing At Compton Verney, 30cm x 30cm,
Inspired by a fishing trip with my dad on the 20th June, 2020, I decided to paint the view from where we were sitting. If you are familiar with Compton Verney this is looking across the ornamental lake directly towards Capability Brown's new Palladium-style chapel, located towards the north of the house. I love lily pads so you will notice that they are present in the foreground along with the beautiful fauna and flora. This in part is because I have always admired Claude Monet's work and was fortunate to visit his house and gardens in Giverny, many years ago. The painting was selected for the Giant 3-D Advent Calendar Exhibition at Compton Verney last Christmas and was reproduced on a very large scale to hang in one of the windows of Compton Verney House.
Lilac Fields, 30cm x 30cm, oil on alumin
Hatton Rock was the inspiration behind this painting that I titled 'Lilac Fields' as I was struck by the beautiful pale violet tone across the fields as well as the low cloud formations. It was early evening and after a warm summer's days in June the colours were incredible with the ochre of the dry soil and lemon yellows, viridans and apple greens in the foreground. I used a generous amount of my favourite colour in this painting which is Vert Paulo Veronese by Wallace Seymour. It is the emerald green that you can see in the middle ground of the painting and complements the violet hues so beautifully. I only use Wallace Seymour paints because they are made with highest quality pigment to provide the most vibrant colours. The paint dries to a permanent and flexible film and is then varnished to preserve and protect the painting.
Summer Fields, 30cm x 30cm, oil on alumi
Until recently, we lived very close to the Welcombe Hills and Clopton Fields in Stratford and so I was very fortunate that a lot of my inspiration for my landscapes was on my doorstep. The views looking towards Clopton House and the surrounding fields were stunning and I loved to see how the colours, weather, flora and fauna changed with the passing of the seasons. This is a painting that was inspired by summer afternoon with the striking cobalt blue sky and stra yellow sun-kissed fields, with hints of pinks and greens indicating the wild flowers. The painting was created using oil mixed with beeswax and applied in various stages to the surface to build up several layers of impasto, applied with a brush and palette knife.
Towards The Bridge, Compton Verney, 30cm
Inspired by a fishing trip with my dad in June 2020 I decided to paint the view looking towards the 18th century stone bridge built for the private drive to the art gallery and museum in Compton Verney. I have always enjoyed painting reflections in water and I thought that composing the arched bridge with the glorious lush grass in the middle ground and the ornamental lake in the foreground provided the main focal point. The weather was particularly changeable with storm clouds above, despite it being the middle of summer and light managing to find its way through, casting shadows and light trails throughout the landscape. This painting took a long time to achieve in the studio over many sessions, building up layers of paint to achieve the reflections in the water, using a range of brush marks. The sky is probably the thickest part of the painting with a mix of blues, greys and white to suggest the dramatic weather conditions and atmospheric qualities that I like to achieve in my work. The water and sky has been broken up by the use of a beautiful green called Schwitters Green, that I frequently use in my paintings. The colour was made by Wallace Seymour Fine Art Products in homage to the German artist Kurt Schwitters, who made his home in the later years of World War II in Ambleside. He made small landscape and portrait paintings often with high key colours.
Summer Hedgerow, 30cm x 30cm, oil on alu
Inspired by a view looking towards Stratford-upon-Avon from Ilmington near Shipston-on-Stour. I had just dropped my son off at his friend's house who lives in Ilmington. As I was driving down a very steep hill the glorious morning light on the fields in the distance was magnificent. There was a gap in the bush at the side of the road which was an ideal viewpoint to take some photos and produce a series of quick sketches for reference. The painting was completed back in the studio using oil paint mixed with beeswax paste to create texture. When you mix oil with beeswax it has a very soft butter-like consistency and you can manipulate the paint very easily with brushes and palette knives to achieve the texture you are looking for. I enjoy working in this way as I like to leave the brush marks visible but I do at times scratch back into the surface to reveal previous layers of paint. This painting was completed in a number of different sittings throughout Summer 2020.
River Dene At Charlecote, 30 x 40cm, oil
As a family we really enjoy visiting National Trust properties to take the dog for a walk, have a picnic and to appreciate the beautiful grounds and history of the place. I find Charlecote Park such a wonderful and enchanting environment partly because I love the view of the River Dene running through the park. This painting was inspired by a visit in October 2019 to Charlecote Park. The reflections on the water and the shadows cast by the trees were incredible and I just knew I had to paint this view. The painting was created back in my studio and was completed in one sitting of about three hours from photographs that I had taken. I decided to enter the painting into the RBSA (Royal Birmingham Society of Artists) Prize Exhibition last year and it was selected and was awarded with a prize. Last year's exhibition was selected by: Graham Chorlton, Artist and Senior Lecturer in Fine Art,Coventry University and Julie Brown, Collections Curator, New Art Gallery Walsall. I hope to enter the same competition this year.