Inspired by the natural world, I started painting in oils during the 2020 lockdown. I hadn’t painted since my mid teens, 25 years ago. Desperately missing being able to get out into the countryside, and specifically being able to go camping in West Wales, I decided I would try to paint the photograph memories from past visits. Raiding the craft cupboard, I found the set of beginner oil paints, brushes and a ‘how to’ book I bought as a present for my partner many years ago. So armed with the book and google, I taught myself how to paint in oils, vicariously enjoying the places I couldn’t visit and dreaming about when I could. I hope to provoke the same feeling in the viewer, as sense of being able to leap in and lie in the grass, wander through the trees or explore beyond the path.
I have since progressed to being inspired by my political activism, the beauty in my city which sometimes goes unseen and the animals which bring me joy.
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