Artist’s Statement

I think of art as a language which I use to express what I see and feel about my surroundings and experiences.  For me creating art is about sharing and entering into a dialogue about the natural world which evokes a positive, emotional response in me.  My focus is light in the woodland landscape and I recognise we are part of the natural world and while we interact with it we need to take care of it and appreciate how privileged we are to have this experience.

I have environmental concerns and this has heightened my enjoyment and appreciation of these places which are a revelation to me and my work is a celebration of them.   It is my intention to contribute 10% of the proceeds of sales of my work distributed equally between the Marine Conservation Society, the RSPB and Water Aid and hope that by doing so I will draw attention to them and their positive work.

Through the processes of mono printing, sketching and painting, my intentions are to capture light in the woodland landscape in a semi-abstract and abstract way, leaving questions unanswered and a dialogue between myself and the viewer.   My desire is to capture these fleeting moments before they vanish and to communicate my sense of awe at nature.  In doing so, I have created a code through the play of materials to develop my experiences, representing the landscape without slavishly reproducing every leaf, twig and tree but conveying an impression of a scene.   I am drawn to light and this is the focus of my practice.

Of particular interest to me is how the light changes and how it affects colour, creates mood and atmosphere, how it falls at different times of the day glimmering through the trees, how it sparkles on wet leaves, and changes with the seasons and the shadows and reflections that result.   My feelings of enlightenment and freedom are conveyed through my work.  These are all factors that inform my practice, and representing this is what my work is about.