How has the pandemic affected you and your art practice?
The pandemic and all the uncertainty and confronting news that floods in on us every day seems to have had the opposite effect to that which I though would happen. I’m finding that by spending much of my time in the studio, concentrating on my work and keeping my thoughts centred on the natural environment keeps me positive and gives me sense of calm. It’s when you’re fully immersed in the work, that the world with the current crisis just seems to fall way into the background.
I’ve found that since the pandemic my palette has ‘softened’ into very soothing colours. The very subject of my work has the effect of calming me personally and I’m finding that the works are also reflecting that. My painted skies are softer, the trees whilst they still have the strength of line and tone to reflect resilience also have an overlay of delicacy in the leaves and tendrils that drape over the trunks and branches. I find this juxtaposition of strength and delicacy both reassuring and pleasing.
What is a typical day for you?
My studio is quite a large space with inspiration literally outside the window with views of the magnificent mountain ash trees that I love. Before the working day can start though, I need coffee! Once that little ritual is out the way I select some music to suit my mood and then I’ll work for usually six hours or so with small breaks. Usually working on several canvases at once, the work has many layers which need time to dry in between. In this way I can continue to work progressively and without breaking the flow. Even when I’m not physically in the studio, I’m thinking about new works, directions, assessing and evaluating works in progress.
You describe your work and art in general as being connections with the landscape, could you tell us more about this?
The natural environment is of extreme importance to me and always has been. There’s nothing like hiking in the forest, taking the time for your senses to absorb everything on offer. This gives me an internal response that is then taken back to the studio. It’s these feelings that I then attempt to convey in the artworks. I draw on memories of different hikes to start a new work and then it seems as though as the painting progresses, it steers you along in certain directions. I like to allow this process to direct the flow of the work.
Your artwork seems to connect with people while adding a calming element, what helps you to create this?
The way I feel about nature and my connection to it combined with the feelings generated when making the work comes through and this is what resonates with others. Many have told me that the work seems to draw them in and fuels their imagination to take them on a ‘journey’ into the painting. Which, oddly enough, is the experience I have when I create the works.
What would you say is the most rewarding and challenging aspects of being an artist today?
I find the most rewarding aspect of my personal journey as an artist is the ability to create works that enrich not only my life, but also others who appreciate my work. When I get feedback from either gallery directors or the clients themselves who say that my work transports them to a place of calm and imagination or even takes them into a memory of place that my work reminds them of, is for me extremely satisfying. One of the challenges I think today in this fast-paced world, is carving out the time to allow yourself the freedom to reflect and to act on your emotional responses to your subject. This is where I think being in ‘lockdown’ has given me an opportunity to solely focus on my art practice with positive and pleasing outcomes.