"It's early days and the past few weeks have been a getting to know period, visiting various parts of the river, taking photographs, some drawings and generally getting a feel for specific locations.

I then take this information back home and produce larger pieces which in turn will become the basis for my final paintings.

The starting point for all my work is always a direct response to something out there in the landscape. Nature is constantly changing and at times provides that initial visual stimulus which triggers something in me and initiates the whole process. Somebody once described it as trying to catch feelings in mid-air which I quite like.

I'm not trying to make an accurate realistic depiction of what is in front of me, instead I am responding to some transient juxtaposition that nature provides in terms of light, form, shape and colour.

The final painting evolves in the very process of manipulating whatever materials I may be using, and when successful often surprises and excites me in a similar way to that original response.

There are some wonderful spots along the river, my sort of places, and I look forward to exploring them in the coming months"

(July 2003)

I use photographs for collecting visual information. These make up a small selection of ones I have taken recently.

(Nov 2003)

Recently I have been producing monoprints by inking a glass slab and drawing into the ink then taking a print from this. These provide information for the basis for the paintings. A few examples of monoprints are shown on the page.

(March 2004