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I was born 60 years ago in the northern English town of Halifax, which means I’ve painted and drawn for over half my life. There have been huge changes in my life during this time , and as I have changed so has my painting. I am influenced by, and /or love, so many different artists, people, places and things that untangling them into a list is impossible

Every time I sit down to paint, all these things sit inside me. As I start, an internal switch takes me on a path of discovery where things appear in my minds eye, it is no longer words or even conscious thinking, it is my language of how I experience life.

Watercolour paint on paper, Oil on canvas or panel, these are the materials I use to create the images, It gives me freedom, no one formally taught me, and I have no rules. I create a nest where I can listen to a cricket match or music and allow myself to fall into my imagination. I set myself challenges to overcome, I play loud music when I have a thousand leaves to paint and curse myself for not making things easier for myself. I want every painting to be perfect and jewel like , but always I’ll find a flaw, no one else will see it , but its that flaw which is the seed for the next image, a doorway to the next step.

The cast of characters expand and contract, change colour, shape and meaning, all is in flux but each painting seems so specific, yet when looked at the following day can convey something very different. The meaning is in the eye of the beholder, and theirs to explore.

I thank all those who have been on this journey with me, whether from the beginning or only met once, every person has given me something precious.

I include the quote below because it sums up for me the joy of painting and the life it has given me.

“Somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond” - e e cummings