Often I will walk out into the landscape, searching for something that holds my interest or stimulates my imagination. There needs to be an arresting compositional element and focus but also a strong emotional interest. It is a process of ‘feeling into’ what I want to paint. Sometimes I can wander for hours looking for a subject. .
When I am ready to paint I set my easel up and have oil paints, brushes, palette knives, oil, turpentine and rags to hand. I will select a board or canvas that I have prepared earlier with a mid tone colour.
Then begins the process of painting- I usually start with one colour that seems appropriate, fairly dark and straight from the tube and thin it as necessary to start drawing and pushing ‘into’ the subject. Soon I find myself working intuitively, selecting paints and brushes and mixing colours as I need to. I become deeply engrossed in the process. I would describe it as a process of seeing and feeling.
The landscape constantly changes in front of us, light and colour depending on the weather conditions. I attempt to catch something. There is a struggle, it is often difficult , frustrating or disappointing. Sometimes it comes easily. There comes a point where it is time to stop, it can be missed and the painting overworked.
Often I will complete the painting in one sitting, It may be in the early stages that I feel I have what I want ie a good sketch. Sometimes I return to the same place to push the painting on or paint it in a different hour or season. Whether the outcome is successful or not is perhaps less important than the fact of it’s making. It is an authentic and focused experience of the world around us. I enjoy the simplicity of painting, and the great difficulty of it.
