My work explores the dichotomy and relationship between painting and photography. I contrast a deadpan, Photorealist style with English romantic subjects such as trees.
I have always been drawn to the strong, dynamic verticals, spatial drama and abstract qualities of tree forms animated by sunlight and I see striated, organic pattern akin to a sort of natural Op Art. A myriad of tiny, inconsequential, photomechanical abstract shapes coalesce to effect a figurative image. For me too, these shapes can reference art history.
After training in fine art and the conservation of paintings, I joined the staff of Southampton City Art Gallery in 1980. Working up close with one of the finest regional public collections of art, spanning eight centuries, for over 35 years has proved a privileged stimulus for my own art practice. My paintings are informed by a diverse range of styles and ideas from Post-Impressionism, Surrealism and Neo-Romanticism to Op, Systems and Photorealism.
