I have been painting for a relatively short time, coming to a period in my life when I'm able to do this because I can and because I have this time. The past eight years has been building skills to add to raw talent and has turned wanting to paint into a passion. So, this is the right time for me. I find it enormously pleasurable, as well as challenging, trying to capture in paint, something of what I feel looking out across the sea or walking a coast path and collapsing with exhaustion lying on the ground staring at clouds, taking photos of all of this and bringing what has been my inspiration for many paintings, home with me. As a Midlander, living as far away from the sea as one can do on this island, I am drawn to the elements and love the total absorption that interpreting these scenes demands. My painting style could be described as semi abstract. I aim to allow the viewer the possibility of interpreting what they see in my work in ways that I may not. I produce work using oils and acrylics, with strong colour and texture created using palette knives, credit cards and the occasionally added mineral (whether by accident or design), all of which add movement to the finished painting.