I was given a small set of oil paints when I was about thirteen and have used them ever since. I have tried other mediums but I can’t get the depth and brilliance I want with anything but oil.
I paint on mounting board. It’s light and easy to draw on and as I draw out my
image in meticulous detail, sometimes taking three or four days. I prime the board with an oil painting medium, once this is dry I can start to paint. I rarely under paint as I like the whiteness of the board to come through.
I work from my own photographs and like to find subjects that suggest a story or touch a memory with anyone looking at the painting. I am interested in light and dark, shadows and reflections and I hope my paintings show this. At the moment my work is following two courses; the first is a series of observational pictures, often including people. The second is wildlife, so far only birds but I am going to South Africa to take photographs of animals to work from. I think that I have always been interested in wildlife and birds in particular. I love seagulls; their noisiness and the way that they seem to fly just for the fun of it.