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Pre 2009

Painting at an Arts Company open day in 2008

Painting is THE primal visual art form. Even more than drawing I suspect. There is something about having rich vibrant colour in your hand that just makes you want to apply it to things, whether you're a cave man, a graffiti vandal or a child at pre-school. EVEN, EVEN, modern adults can enjoy this pleasure!!! It is FUN to apply paint! All children know this. If you're not having fun with your paints there is something wrong in your head. You are taking it too seriously, or being too self-controlling. If you just relax and concentrate on applying the paint you will see that this simple act brings pleasure of itself, quite apart from the pleasure you might find in creating a work of art.

I love mixing paint and I love applying it. I use acrylics because they are quick drying, bright, odour free and easy to clean up. Yes, the quick drying can be a curse as well, making it difficult to blend unless you are super quick, but this has made me form a style to cope with that restriction. The lack of smooth blending gives my work a fresh, almost cartoon-like style. You might not like it, but at least I've got a style!

I like doing portraits, since, like most people, I find people's heads endlessly fascinating. Most amateurs avoid this discipline as they find it too difficult, but really, heads are just another shape. I don't limit myself to this subject though and am always keen to tackle anything that takes my eye. Obviously some subjects suit me better than others, but this is the true for all artists.

I generally, (but not always), work from photos and often mock up the design on the computer before I translate it to canvas. In the end though it's always the stroke of the brush: mixing the paint with the knife and then stroking it on. It's the stroke where the art form comes alive: The colour you want, in the place where you want it... forever! Magic!