I work thematically and am inspired by all sorts of things from ancient history to maps to Jazz music. I seem to be constantly alert to anything that suggests a painting or drawing. I love visiting other countries for the stimulation and going to art galleries for inspiration but equally can be enthralled by a walk on the hills.
As well as producing artwork I also give talks on aspects of art history. This is another rich stimulus for my own work. Researching artists from the past and the contexts in which they worked is fascinating and certainly makes you question your own work.
I love the process of making art but it often surprises me. No matter what the starting point is in my experience at some point the art takes over and leads me down paths I couldn’t have predicted. This can be very interesting and exciting.
I think my process changes depending on the theme. As a member of the Evesham Urban Drawing group I work in a very disciplined way and produce quite tight figurative work. However, with my recent Jazz Project, in conjunction with the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, I worked in a very intuitive way trying to find visual equivalents for music. Two very different approaches but still using the basic elements of art; line, shape, colour and texture. Essentially, whatever way I work I’m looking for that bit of magic that says ‘that works’