How I Work
 

For landscapes I will visit an area and often make sketches (usually in watercolour) to get a sense of the light. I always take copious photographs using a high quality digital SLR camera. I then return to my studio to plan and complete the final painting

For portraits I either work from photographs, or from a combination of sittings and photos. Often I will sketch the subject first, before embarking on the main painting. Wherever possible I take my own reference photos, often in the subject's own house, before returning to the studio.

Click here to see how a portrait develops from a photograph.

My studio is the lightest room in our house and is where I do the vast majority of my painting. Here I can plan my work, and have room for more than one uncompleted painting to be "on the go" at the same time. Cupboards, shelves and window sills are filled with my art materials, and I can pin photos or other sources of inspiration on the noticeboard.

I paint a lot of my larger landscapes in acylic paint on canvas. Acrylic paint is a particularly versatile medium. It is water-soluble and can be used thinly on paper like watercolour paint, but may also be applied more thickly to canvas or board, like oil paint. It dries fast and is then lightfast and hard to damage. Acrylics on canvas can have a very similar appearance to oil paintings.

I use oil less frequently, although I do find it a very useful medium for portraiture as it stays wet (and thereford blendable) for quite long periods. I tend to use the newer water-soluble oil paints, which avoid the need for chemical solvents, and leave brushes easier to clean.

Pastels are one of the most immediate and vibrant painting media. They have a similar consistency to chalks, and using them is more like drawing than painting. They are made of pure pigment, mixed with just enough binder to hold them together. They are typically applied to a slightly rough paper, so that the pigment has something to "stick" to. Some of the papers I use feel almost like sand paper.

I love using pastels for portraits, particularly of children, where a light touch is essential. Pastels are also a great medium for moody or misty paintings because of the subtle blending and lighting effects that are possible.

Watercolours are, of course, one of the most popular painting media.I love the transparency and soft effects that watercolours allow, particulary to paint British landscape scenes.

Traditional watercolour technique involves layering thin, transparent, washes of paint to build up the picture and this can be ideal for portraying subtle lighting and colours. I also like to work "wet in wet", which gives some amazing blended effects that are almost impossible to achieve with other painting media.

I use a wide range of art materials from several different suppliers. You will find that several of these websites include huge amounts of useful information about paints, paper, pigments, brushes etc.

If you would like further information about my particular methods or materials, please do get in touch .