Artist Statement
Born in Melbourne, Derbyshire, I studied graphic design at Derby and worked for many years in publishing as a designer and illustrator. As a fine artist I am largely self-taught, and in 2000 I started having solo exhibitions, becoming a full-time artist in 2009. I show work all over the country, in galleries, churches and cathedrals, and have recently opened The Manger Galllery, which specialises in contemporary English romanticism, visionary and imaginative work.
I work in several different media, but drawing remains paramount for me. My pencil work is characterized by an extreme evenness of touch with finely graduated tonal areas, creating the transparent and interconnecting arcs which are a recurring feature of much of my work. My charcoal drawings show many of the same concerns, but are larger and freer, with much more room for improvization. My colour work consists mostly of either acrylic, or an acrylic underpainting with a layer of Sennelier oil pastel on top, which creates an unusual gauzy effect; in some pieces this effect is accentuated by using highly textured paper as a support.
Thematically my work falls into two overlapping groups. Often dream-like and densely atmospheric, the imagery is an imaginative distillation of memories and sensations of the gardens, orchards, fields and lanes of my childhood in Derbyshire. This work has obvious links with British Neo-Romanticism; wandering figures on long journeys, aspects of nature as metaphors for human joy and sorrow, animal and human figures expressive of mystery and spiritual longing. More recently I have produced pieces and whole series which consciously seek to engage with theological narratives, texts and themes, though usually in oblique or ambiguous ways.
