My Inspiration

DARTMOOR

Out in sunshine and be shrouded in
fog in a heartbeat!

What is it about Dartmoor that continually draws me to paint it’s landscape again and again?.
On a physical level it has everything, huge Tors, deep wooded valleys, vast open spaces
offering far reaching views of the Devon coastline.
As the second highest place in England, the opportunity to walk amongst the clouds is a
humbling connection between earth and sky.
There is much history to be found with very accessible bronze age dwellings and evidence of occupation right up to the present day.

Climatically one can walk out in sunshine and be shrouded in fog in a heartbeat, the speed in which the weather can change is formidable, making capturing a moment in time to paint a constant, but enjoyable challenge.
The spiritual attraction of why I, like so many others visit Dartmoor is probably the greatest benefit, in that it re connects us to mother earth, and shows us who we are and maybe for some a greater freedom and sense of place.
It may be reasonable to think that we could all live together in peace, and one day the vast area given over to the military can be given back to Dartmoor and re naturalised, fully restoring harmony to a valuable resource.

Coastal scenes
As a caver I spent years scrambling around in and on the Mendip hills, famous for some of the most striking caverns and caves in Europe.
The constant search for new caves was high on the agenda.
We learnt much about our environment and how our landscape has formed through history.
The single most important element that becomes awe inspiring is the geology.
We live in one of the most geologically diverse places on the planet and this is evident in much of our coastline.
The Bristol channel coastline is very different to the Cornish and Devon coastline, each demonstrating vast variations in their structure.
It is possible to find white cliffs next to red conglomerate next to slate and limestone and so on, all within one day trip!
So it’s no surprise that the coast offers me as an artist, huge opportunities to capture the beauty of the British coastline.
It is also worth mentioning as Islanders, the lure of the sea is inescapable, it’s part of what we are.