Everything I do is about telling stories.

I paint how a place makes me feel and capture the drama, the light, the mystery and the memories.

Portraits are about what the subject is thinking and how that affects me.

Abstract Landscapes:

Night Beach

Portraits:

Unconditional

Breathing in Brancaster

Coastal path around the cliff

Can’t Say

Park Light

Find

This piece started as a representational depiction of Brancaster Beach in Norfolk. The colours were right, the light was right but I hadn’t captured that feeling; the moment when you see the beach in front of you, that wide expanse of sky, sea and sand. And you breathe it all in and you love that the air is clean and fresh. It hits me every time I visit this beach. On this particular day, we were going through a stressful time and we needed to escape. I found myself breathing deeply and with each breath, I felt calmer and more relaxed. This was the dose of nature I required.

So the painting didn’t do it justice. I used the same colours and included brighter cleaner tones of blue and raw sienna. I painted over the whole picture leaving gaps to show the beach. I stood and painted wide sweeping strokes across the canvas, blending colours and lightly dry brushing in white. At the same time, I breathed deeply in and then let it out slowly. Painting in this way had the same effect as being on that beach.

I covered the sky, sea and sand to focus on the main element in this painting, which was about the release of tension I felt in that place.