Sing a song...

                    Norfolk Evensong   Oils on board   6 x 6 inches   ON HOLD


Mixing and placing oil paint to create a painting is pure bliss.  I am never bored or short of ideas as the finished work on the shelves in my studio can help me to start the next piece.

Sometimes I return to a former painting and change the format from rectangle to square. Other times I crop parts of the painting ( from my archive photo) or change the colours to make a completely different picture.  

I also have a file of photos to give me ideas.  Most of them are landscapes, seascapes, dawn or sunsets.  When asked what I paint I used to say I paint landscapes.  However, my paintings are really about atmosphere.  I like to capture the abstract if I can...sunlight and shadows, a 'sense of place' rather than 'just a view'.   

I look at the sky and see colours and shapes.  Across a field I see sun streaked across the corn, and zig zags of shadows.  This gives me a feeling of delight.  Back in the studio I like pushing the colours to make an impact and sculpting shapes on the board with my brush.  Broad strokes, wispy strokes, thick bits pulled down to give the impression of reflections.  No real detail, no people, just marks.  

That's it.