I officially declared myself an artist in the early 90s and spent the next 30 odd years teaching art to adults as well as carrying out a variety of artistic projects and commissions. These involved painting, illustrations, cartoons and caricatures.
Q: What is it that you do? Describe yourself and what makes you unique.
I decided many years ago not to restrict myself in any way. I took on many different commissions, and enjoyed experimenting with different mediums, styles, and textures and deciding which is best suited to my project.
Q: Tell us about the work that makes you the proudest?
I am proud of all my work, because I am constantly learning and improving. Anything I’m not proud of ends up in the wheelie bin! I do have my favourites, namely Christchurch Yacht Club, and one of my latest paintings, Ducks in a Row.
The painting of the ducks was inspired by my wife. She saw a mallard with its babies and asked if I could paint something similar for her. Unfortunately, she didn’t manage to get a photo. This was sometime ago, and something I thought she’d forgotten about, but no! She reminded me and handed me an AI photo that she’d seen online which she loved. This would be a first for me, using an AI reference, but my wife absolutely loves this painting, and so do I. I’m not quite sure that using this type of reference is for me, but it did earn me gold stars from my wife!
My painting of Christchurch was inspired whilst on a walk with my dad. We were strolling around and came across the yacht club. We were on a small jetty which jutted out into the harbour, the club was directly opposite. The sunlight, the still water and reflections were so calming and relaxing that I wanted to capture it in a painting. I took a few photos and did my best to recreate that sensation in my work. It took many many hours to complete, but I think it really does capture what I saw and felt that day.
