| Born in Leicester in 1945, as a teenager I was given a camera which develop a wider interest in the creative arts. Progressing through photography and drawing I enrolled on a foundation course at Leicester Southfields College under the tuition of Rod Pountney. This led to a fine art degree at Coventry University. Throughout there has been continuity , both in my own development and in respect to the out side influences of other artists whose work has help to form me. After gaining my degree I turned to painting and settled in St.Ives Cornwall.
The Cornish land and seascapes, offers a broad and diverse source of imagery for a new painting language. The ambiguity between abstraction and representation in my work can be traced back to studies under Rod Pountney, in particular the method of drawing from the model and the dialogue with Colour.
The dialogue between abstraction and representation has never been problematic for me. I aim to describe the abstract element underlying the more powerful forms of realism. It begins with an idea basted on strong observation, and ends with creating a sum greater than its parts. Pierre Bonnard's use of colour made him particularly important in my development as an artist and to the growing awareness of the possibilities of colour. Colour evokes emotion and romance whilst the line conveys the image. Once the composition has been decided upon, the reality to a point is not so necessary. I am free to create light and atmosphere with tone, brushwork and colour. |
