Artists Statement

I consider myself an artist who works on themes, they are figurative but subjective, ‘feelings and influences’ have a large part to play in how the work looks.

Over the years I’ve worked in many different processes and what’s clear is everything is produced for a purpose. We obviously change and our perceptions alter, however work produced many years ago can have a link to what is being made now and in my case I believe that to be true. Another important facet is memory, events trigger emotions that appear in the work guided by intuition. I don’t believe my work has any strong literal attachments, it should speak for itself. The images are a response to a ‘time and place’, whether because of memory or present circumstances.

Elland

Paint and print create different interpretations. Drama is important to me and would say intaglio in particular is effective in conveying this. Whereas paint is more fleeting in its effect. What I know is that processes are important, they are a reaction to ‘time and place’, which triggers an effect.

Having worked in industry, what I relate to is manual dexterity. The ‘Hands On’ process does the thinking for me. Whether it be painting or printmaking.

I’ve never tried to shy away from using different processes particularly in print. My work is a reflection on many thoughts as well as present circumstances. Influences vary, earlier work based on industry as seen in the illustrations have much to do with ‘forms and forces’, found particularly in the ‘steel industry’ or ‘heavy engineering’. Drama has a part to play in this overview, it can be the way the weather or ourselves colour what we see.

Recently I’ve tried to find a way of looking at landscape and in this there’s a strong English tradition. With this idea I’ve tried to explore how something so inscribed in our memory can be presented in a more contemporary fashion. Drawings are developed into paint and printmaking showing a deliberate work in progress. I don’t use devices in my work, the marks are direct and have to read thus, and so can be developed. There is an English tradition in what I’m doing I look to making the work subjective and expressive this I believe is my intuition. The work is leading somewhere.