I want to capture the optimism, the romanticism, the tenacity inherent in the old buildings and medieval towns of Europe.
These paintings are a combination of my imagination and evocative memories from my travels to places such as Amalfi, Positano, San Gimignano, the Cinque Terra and the hilltowns and villages found on the back roads of Italy, Germany, England and France.
I love the way these hilltop villages improbably cling to the most impossible of cliff faces, and the higgledy-piggledy, almost playful nature of their construction.
When I start a painting I quite lose myself in imagining the lives of the people who built these homes, and their descendants who live in them today.
I think of it as painting from inside my head and my heart, with one foot in reality, and one in my imagination. It is this essence of a place, its lifeforce which finds its way onto the canvas.
At the same time I want to compose an image that means something to the viewer- that brings a smile, and perhaps triggers a memory that leads to them creating their own story, to their experiences of life giving an entirely new dimension to my painting.
And that’s Ok - it means my work has life, it has humanity, it has possibility!
I believe art should enrich our lives, enhance our wellbeing, our homes, and our visual awareness.
In the past few years my work has moved away from traditional realism,
to a more personal, stylized interpretative art.
People often tell me that my paintings 'make them feel good'. I think that is because I can only paint that which makes me feel good, that which gives me pleasure......to be painting is to be in my 'happy place.'
And I think it is this shared response to a happy memory that connects.
I want people to enjoy living with my art.
I believe art should be felt, as well as viewed!
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