Creating a looseness of brushwork that hopefully suggests rather than dictates a scene, is crucial to the finished piece. I like to play with the boundaries, making abstract marks that will work together to create a recognisable image that makes sense to the viewer. I am not trying to achieve pure representation. I paint what I admire and what excites me visually. I love the challenge of translating into paint. For me the real excitement builds once the imagination takes over and the paint begins to work for me. I love the feel and the smell of the paint.
Plockton in Wester Ross and the islands of Mull and Iona are areas where I have returned to on many occasions and from where a lot of inspiration comes. I love their remoteness and their quality of light and try to reflect this in my work. Iona is a special place for me and is an unlimited source of subject matter. I will always return.
I work in oils using a range of palette knives and brushes (mostly large flats and filberts which allow me to keep it loose). I tend to use anything to apply the paint that makes an interesting mark, even fingers come in handy when moving the paint around!
The paints I use are artist quality permanent pigments.
I feel there is still so much I need to learn about painting - I hope I never stop learning.
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