Loveliest of Trees the Cherry now... Painting

Throughout my life I have been avidly interested in art this led eventually to painting professionally from my studio in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. I work in a variety of styles from traditional to contemporary, inspiration is derived from my experiences,dreams, memories,people and surroundings. I admire the work of Matisse,Picasso also Indian and Egyptian art for its spirituality and simplicity of form. Although I paint primarily in oils my practices include watercolour, pastels and printmaking.I exhibit from time to time in galleries display work in my studio during "Open Studios" events and my work is represented in private collections both locally and abroad. I develop ideas through a series of preparatory studies on the spot drawings of nature, people and places enlarging and refining the image before committing to canvas. I produce work in a variety of mediums, oil paint, water-colour, acrylic, pen and ink, pastel and printmaking as they offer different possibilities.I work slowly and do not produce a lot of paintings in a year. Although I have had a formal training in drawing, anatomy and perspective I often distort my images as they act as symbols or metaphors to express my response to life but first and foremost my concerns remain with the canvas, its surface the physicality of the paint and primarily, colour, as a vehicle for expresson. Other interests include stained glass, glass fusing and jewellery making creating unique adornments in precious metal, enamelled copper and dichroic.