Meet The Artist
I am more or less a self-taught artist, having had a brief spell at Chelsea Art College. I have mainly painted for myself. I like to paint in oils and acrylics and paint what’s around me, from the obvious still life to an everyday overlooked part of my house, a space like the stairs captures not just that image but the heart of the home used daily. There will be a first time and a last time they are walked up whilst we live there, a painted memory that says so much more than just a picture.
What I like about using oil, is the layers and the movement that you can create depending on what your subject is, in my still life’s I tend to use thick paint to add depth unlike when I use acrylic on watercolour paper which I like to take time over the painting and enjoy the process of creating something calmer, although when I use acrylic on canvas I use that for creating almost a sketch style finish which it lends its self to and the ability to create something quickly.
The use of colour is very important to me. I tend to paint using a brighter palette to add an element of fun to my still lifes, but very occasionally, I break from that for a change and paint in black and white. Very quickly, I will find myself painting using vivid colours again. Sometimes, I find it is nice to break away from the style that I usually paint in to allow new ideas and hopefully create a different take on my usual style.
Whichever style or medium I chose to use at the start of any painting, I love that it’s my choice and I get to create something from my vision, the slight fear that it could go wrong at any moment and the sheer joy that I’ve managed to complete an artwork when it’s finally done, that’s what keeps me painting, even though after every painting I’m not sure of the next one and if I’ll even be able to create one like that last. A roller coaster of emotions sits quietly hanging on my wall with every finished painting.
