I am primarily a writer of fiction & nonfiction under a pen-name (SC Skillman), but I took up painting in acrylics during the 2020 Lockdown. During that time many felt isolated, despairing & deeply troubled. I found painting in bright colours lifted me out of this into another world, far above depression & anxiety, a world of happiness & tranquility. I hope you too will glimpse something of this other world when you look at my art.
My hopeful, idealistic scenes of gardens & landscapes evoke a sense of childlike wonder; some arise from real places I have visited, & others are imagined. Recurrent themes include landscape gardens, trees, hills & mountains, lakes & rivers, & dancing figures of nymphs & fairies. I have now moved onto paintings which are inspired by the art of JRR Tolkien: enchanting landscapes with a touch of magic.
My naïve, illustrative art is all about ‘returning to childhood’. Through it, I hope viewers may for a while rediscover their own early innocence & idealism.