Unlike many, I lack imagination which may come across as unusual for an artist. All it means is that I need to have my subject in front of me be it a photo or from life. I am inspired by colour, expression, good light or anything that catches my eye with the challenge being to create the perfect tones and shadows, I love contrast.
I really enjoy portraits and have attempted my own many times from life, but with limited success. When your family look and say, “Who’s that?” then you know something isn’t quite right. So I finally succumbed to The Selfie. I wear my hair up most of the time but I knew that it’s a feature people know me by so I washed it especially for the occasion and left it down. I took lots and lots of photos and hated them all. The one I used for the painting was the last one, hence the wry smile as I was feeling a bit of an idiot. The good news is that my family recognised that it was me instantly, those who know me have all commented on the hair so I guess it was worth the wash!
Art is a hobby for me and a mile away from my day job but it is a significant past time. In the early days pencil was my medium of choice but I now paint mostly in pastel. It was the discovery of textured pastel papers that was a revelation, for me they turned pastels into a versatile and forgiving medium that affords bright and vibrant colours. Using both sticks and pencils, I can build up in layers to achieve a sharp and detailed finished piece.
I accept commissions, teach in workshops and demo for art societies.
With so many art materials available to us out there, it can be difficult to know where to start. My “safe” zone for many years was graphite and coloured pencil but even with those, now that I know more, I realise I was only using them to a tiny fraction of their potential.
For many of us, art is a refuge, a place of comfort. It is something we turn to at all points in our life, a place to escape to. For some, it’s vital as it pays the mortgage whilst for others it equals in importance as a therapy for anxiety and depression.
How many times do we excuse our lack of creativity by using the phrase, I just don’t have the time”? I use the term “excuse” lightly as, in our busy lives, it is a very relevant reason for not drawing or painting.
