Drawing and painting out in the landscape is where I feel the strongest connection with the energy and drama of the land.
As a landscape artist, I am deeply inspired by nature, the ever-changing light, colours, movement and shape of my surroundings.
My paintings aren’t to be purely seen as landscapes; rather, they reflect the spirit of the place and personal connection – a physical and geographical intertwining that evokes serenity, wildness and a sense of belonging.
In all its layers, my work denotes visibility and obscurity, the feeling of being within a landscape and your own inner world, creating a contemplative experience for the viewer.
“Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye, it also includes the inner pictures of the soul” – Edvard Munch
After completing my BA (Hons) in Fine Art, I went on to study for a Masters in History of Art at York University. It was here that I became a research scholar at York Art Gallery in 2013 and provided research for the exhibition Milner-White’s Paintings at the Hepworth Wakefield. The exhibition featured works by John Piper, Walter Sickert, Stanley Spencer and Gwen John, and there began my interest in 20th century British Art.
After completing my Masters, I moved to London in 2014 to intern as a Curatorial Assistant at The Ben Uri Gallery & Museum, where I provided research for the exhibition Refiguring the 50s, which featured works by Joan Eardley, Sheila Fell, Josef Herman and Eva Frankfurther. I had the wonderful opportunity in supporting curator Sarah MacDougall in cataloguing a private collection of works by Eva Frankfurther that has become an online catalogue dedicated to her life and works.
The figurative artists featured in this exhibition have had a profound effect on my personal work. Their strong identification with the place in which they chose to live and work became the primary focus of their practice, and it has certainly become mine since returning to the Peak District.
I am strongly influenced by the changing seasons and weather, which inspire the colour palette of each work. I begin with an image I have taken while walking or paint plein air, working intuitively and adapting the palette with the changing light. I want each painting to feel like it has an energy as this movement echoes the changes of the wild landscape and our relationship with the land.