I
am a self-taught artist with no formal training
or coaching. I started drawing at a very
young age and have continued throughout
my life to experiment with different mediums
and evolve my style to where it is currently,
although it can vary depending on my subject.
For the past two years I have created on
a full-time basis with various solo and
group exhibitions nationally and internationally.
I
work with two main mediums being soft pastel
and oils. I like to stay true to these mediums
by maintaining a soft looseness with the
pastels and a vibrant, textured surface
with the oils. My palette is always minimal
and most of my mixing is done on the canvas,
wet on wet, to maintain rich, vibrant colours
where they glow through one another, and
also to achieve a sense of layering. Detail
is paramount in every piece of artwork which
is created regardless of medium. What you
see from a distance is one dimension, up
close becomes another. I paint the things
I love, be it for the colour of my subject
or the emotion it conjures within me and
I always choose the medium based on my subject.
My personal aim is to capture the essence
of my subject and hope to convey to the
viewer it's anima, soul. I want the viewer
to believe they could stroke the feathers
of the flamingo, feel the firmness and roundness
of a muscular torso or want to find a poppy
field to stroll through. I hope to stir
within them a distant memory or a sense
of serenity and calm they can escape to
from this sometimes hectic world. What we
see on an everyday basis can sometimes be
taken for granted where it's true and simple
beauty is not wholly appreciated. Recreating
what I see and compacting it onto a canvas,
hopefully, gives the viewer a new appreciation
of the subject, as in the 'Colour In Flight'
Series, which are detailed sections of various
butterfly wings. These pieces allow us to
consider another aspect of the insects that
flutter freely in our gardens. The colours
are rich and vibrant with each brush stroke
representing a scale.
I
hope you get as much enjoyment viewing my
art as I have creating it. |
