Why do I paint?
Artists are inspired to work by many different things. Here, I've tried to list the things that get my creative juices going. I always know when they are flowing, because I just have to paint, (or photograph, or whatever). Usually, it's something I see in a landscape. Sometimes I merely glimpse it - maybe out of a car window, or a window seat on a train, and then paint it later. This doesn't always result in a very 'faithful' rendition, but that's not what I'm aiming for. As you will see from my work, my aim is more to express the spirit of a place, or at least that's how I see it!
Friends often ask what are my main influences, implying, perhaps, that my style is an attempt to emulate some famous painter. But, in truth, I do not, conciously at least, try to do this. My style, (if I can be said to have one), has developed of its own accord.
Places, Colour and Moods
I draw my inspiration from the places I know best: around my home, and places I know from holidays or childhood memories. A place doesn't have to have grand scenery - in fact, I am more drawn to gentler scenery. I walk every day with the dogs, in the woods near my home, and often come home with pictures in my head that I want to paint. When I can, I carry a small sketchbbok, but I usually only draw the briefest of skteches, leaving most of the detail in my mind's eye.
As you will probably guess from my paintings, I love using colour - maybe a bit too much. I usually add far more colour than really exists in a scene, but that's part of the fun for me.
Many of my paintings could be described as 'moody' - they evoke a strong sense of movement that perhaps relates to the passion I have for painting.
Great artists of the past
Any struggling student of art soon learns to appreciate the skill of the great artists of the past. Their work has endured in our collective conciousness because they combined great skill with tenacity, patience, and passionate belief in their artistry.
I love the paintings of the Italian renaissance, and among my favourites are well-known works such as 'The Forest Fire', by Piero di Cosimo, and Paolo Uccello's 'Caccia Notturna', known in English as 'The Hunt in the Forest'. Why these? Well, they are both in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, which is where I first saw them. Like many other artists of this period, Uccello was in thrall to perspective, and one of its earliest masters. I love the almost exaggerated perspective in The Hunt, amplified by the tonal distance between the brightly coloured foreground figures and the dark interior of the forest. Piero di Cosimo also painted the hauntingly beautiful 'The Death of Procris', now known more prosaically as 'A Satyr mourning over a Nymph', which is in the National Gallery, London. From the wealth of the Italian Renaissance, the work of Andrea Mantegna also stands out. His works, such as 'The Crucifixion', and 'The Agony in the Garden', take place in wonderfully heroic landcsapes that echo the emotive story that they tell. Mantegna was also a superb draughtsman, witness 'Virtus Combusta' ('Virtue in flames') - one of several drawings in the British Museum, and 'The Introduction of the Cult of Cybele at Rome', (at the National Gallery in London), an astonishing figure study.
Among more recent artists, JMW Turner stands as a giant to me. Turner loved Italy, especially Venice, and some of my favourite Turners are from his many visits there. But my absolute favourite Turners are his watercolours of the Alps, which he painted towards the end of his life. At this time, he was perfecting his studies of light in all its moods. Hist studies of the Swiss lakes and mountains, such as 'Goldau' and 'A Swiss Lake' (both in private collections) are powerful and quite magical.
Living artists
There are literally thousands of great artists alive today - probably more than at any time in history. People who, only a generation ago, would never have had the free time, or the money, to spend foloowing their artistic ambitions can now do so. I am always staggered by the quailty of work that is to be seen at any local art show, anywhere in the country, and I am sure that I would find similar talent almost anywhere in the world.
Anywhere, for what it's worth, here's a list of some of the artists I've stumbled across in the last few years:
Rolf Harris, better known by many as a British TV personality, is also a superbly gifted artist. He has an uncanny ability to produce a painting in the style of almost any school, but his own work is just as interesting. He is represented by the Halycon Gallery, and, if you haven't seen his work, I recommend a visit. His wife Alwen, and daughter Bindi, (who specialises in scuplture), are also gifted artists. (Considering that he has been a celebrity in the UK for about 50 years, Rolf is just about the most unassuming bloke you could ever hope to meet. I think it helps that he grew up in Perth, Western Australia, a place I know well. In WA, the locals don't have much patience for airs and graces, and are pretty quick to spot a fake. And Rolf is no fake.)
I am also very fond of David Hockney's Yorkshire work, (such as "Garrowby Hill").
Dawn Meader is an Australian artist who works in oil and pastels. More recently, she has moved into mosaics, but I hope she goes back to painting some time.
Francesco Nesi is an Italian artist who paints beautifully observed fantasies.
Aurelio Vattimo is an Italian lithographer whose intricate and beautiful work is reminiscent of Escher.
Fred Cuming is another artist whose works have inspired me to try new techniques. You can see some examples of his work at the Fairfax Gallery web site. His beautifully illustrated book ' A Figure in the Landscape' is available from Amazon:
