Introduction

Where I live and work in Castle Pulverbatch, 750 ft up on the edge of the Shropshire hills, the effects of weather on the landscape are very apparent. Contemporary landscape paintings should be about, not of, a place and time – the expressive reaction to landscape as well as a representation of it. Seeing and experiencing the effects of weather and light and their interaction with landforms are the inspiration to make dynamic landscape paintings.

The Paintings

I sketch and photograph in the landscape, but paint in the studio, working in watercolour, gouache and ink on heavyweight watercolour paper. Once the painting starts to take on a life of its own, sketches and photographs are left behind. I prefer graphic images, where tone, colour and light give a strong visual impact. Walking in Cornwall, Pembrokeshire, the French Pyrenees or sailing a yacht to the Outer Hebrides makes one acutely aware of weather and landscape. The mix of light, wind and waves, clouds, islands and mountains gives unlimited subjects for paintings.