When painting landscapes, many artists focus on traditional panoramic views. Although I acknowledge this valuable interpretation I have tried to capture the more hidden view in much of my work. My paintings show the peace and tranquillity, which are to be found in isolated places of beauty. Deliberately, people are absent from these scenes but I believe the pathways and walkways, sometimes merging into the landscape, symbolises their fleeting presence. These ideas have been painted initially in watercolour enabling me an immediate response and then translated using oil paints onto larger canvases. A more thoughtful appreciation of the images can now be achieved. Freedom and spontaneity are important factors in my paintings and the use of a palette knife allows me both. I feel that sometimes these are lost with the use of brushes. My landscapes are fragmented. As natural sunlight filters through the branches, the images highlighted are the colours and shapes of nature. I hope, by the use of texture, I have captured the depth that can be found in woodland scenes. In recent years, where abstraction has been a dominant force, landscape painting has become unfashionable with many critics. Although it has been one of Britain’s greatest traditions the rivalry of film and photography seemed to have dulled its edge.I believe there is still a place for landscape painting and artists should continue to capture new aspects of the countryside before the spreading towns and motorways destroy areas of it forever. My paintings are a tribute to the Northwest landscape.
