Artist Statment: -
At this time, my focus is mainly on seascapes, with skies and landscapes also. It is a personal challenge be able to capture the sea, to create how it “feels". “Capturing one particular moment that will never come the same again is part of the “magic” that happens in painting such a subject. To paint impermanence into a permanent state requires control and freedom together.” I have found that in creating something like the sea, it has to be felt as much as possible. Of course, there are techniques that help in its creation, as in other areas such as the sky, mountains, trees, these techniques can be “born” from finding a way to represent and feel the subject matter, to treat it in a manner which suits the form, which is why experimentation and observation are so very important in discovering ways of best approaching a certain subject. I was fortunate to have met a talented artist who gave me valuable criticism, advise and much assistance on works of this nature, how to tackle the sea and other subject matter, which I am grateful for and have taken on board while finding my own way in this area of painting.
Within my artwork feeling, atmosphere, emotion and mood are important if that is what is needed for the piece. Portraits need to show personality for example, in which I aim to bring this out in my work. It is bringing the canvas to life, to make it breathe, that it not only looks like the sea or person, but feels like it or them too. Where necessary or appropriate, this is the goal I strive for.
Commissioned pieces are very welcome of course, and it is extremely important that both the customer and I are satisfied with the result. I enjoy working with people to give them what they are looking for in the piece, and so encourage input and hope to be able to give advise that is helpful and of value where necessary.
The scale of the work depends on a variety of factors. In terms of commissioned works, the requirements of the client will finally determine the dimensions in most cases, of which much scope is available, be it standard, square, etc, with sizes to suit. Regarding my own works for exhibition and so on, they will vary in size and format depending on the subject matter and effect I want to achieve, and can vary anywhere from small paintings such as10X8, square or elongated rectangular canvases to larger pieces such as 60X40 for instance. I like to keep my options open and are not closed to the idea of working on larger or smaller scales, both for my own work and commissioned pieces.