Watercolour Landscapes... Who knew?

If you knew me personally as an artist and have watched my artist practice closely you would know that I never imagined myself as a watercolour landscape artist, watercolours used to terrify me. I am very much an abstract oil painter with years of experience painting large and creating immersive installations, made entirely of paintings. However, when I had to downsize my studio space and find myself painting more in my bedroom I quickly realised that I would have to put oil painting on hold as I didn't physically have the space and didn't fancy inhaling the fumes in my bedroom.

Whenever I visited my grandparents in Saltburn-by-the-sea, North Yorkshire I took hundreds of photos of the beach and surrounding area from the tops of cliffs and hills. I decided to just paint them one day and felt inspired to dig out the watercolours, just for fun, just for myself. I wasn't intending to show these paintings to the world. To my surprise I really enjoyed using this new medium and subject matter, the paintings were not half bad and I began to get commissions to paint other beautiful landscapes in the world.

In January 2023 I got a commission to paint a lake in Austria, I took one look at the photograph and was drawn to all the colours I thought it was beautiful, and then I noticed how many rooftops there were in the foreground. I've never painted buildings before but thought I'd give it a go and see what happens. As the painting progressed and began to take shape I didn't want to stop. I was enjoying the journey the painting took me on. I felt like I was there in the landscape taking in the natural colours and mesmerizing views.

This is my approach to all my paintings, whatever the subject matter is. I enjoy the anticipation and unknowing of how a painting will turn out. However, expecting the painting to take any direction and allowing the paint to paint itself drives me to start in the first place.