Working for extended periods in places with a strong local identity has been central to the development of my work as an artist. In addition to lengthy stays in Wales, Dorset and Venice, I have also worked formally as Artist-in-Residence in Italy (Tuscany), Egypt (Cairo), India (Rajasthan and Kerala), Spain (Andalucia), USA (Nebraska), and Holland (Amsterdam).
These works have evolved slowly, from observational paintings and drawings made directly in situ to semi-abstract studio based creations, which attempt to distill a ‘sense of place’. I work exclusively with locally sourced materials, grinding paints from earth and minerals, scavenging and recycling collage material from the local environment and using motifs that absolutely locate the work to where it is produced.
Histories of places, events and people are recorded, sometimes unwittingly, in the walls and facades we construct, or touch in some way. There is an attempt in this work to strip back those layers, to deconstruct and reveal what lies beneath the surface.
