There are many ways to start a painting – I use a method called ‘Alla Prima’ which means ‘At First Attempt’.. so I’m aiming to get my marks right first time and not go back in and fiddle with them later.  This gives the paintings a certain spontaneous energy.

I paint on ‘smooth panel boards’ in oil paint as I love the way the paint sits on the surface and allows the brush marks to stay visible.  I premix my colours to see how they work on the palette before I apply them. I try to make each brushstroke count, be bold with my brush marks and resist overworking them or over blending them, building up the image like a jigsaw puzzle of interconnecting shapes.  

I’ll usually begin with a tonal underpainting and work ‘islands to oceans’ – so starting in the centre of a flower or the eyes of an animal and spiralling my way out from there, always painting the background last so that I can work my edges.

I think carefully about which edges should be soft, which ones sharp, and which ones should be lost altogether.  I’m considering where to put my lightest light next to my darkest dark to create the point of maximum contrast, where the most saturated colour should go, where to place the most amount of detail and how to create some leading lines.

The flowers are usually painted from life, my arrangements lit with different coloured backgrounds behind them to add colour and create interesting shadows that I can incorporate in the painting too.  For the pets I work from photographs provided by the client.

The style of the painting is not only determined by me but also the type of brushes I use.  ‘Flats’ give me precision, I can lay the paint down thickly and have lots of control over the marks I make. ‘Filberts’ (flat with a curved end) give me a softer look. Sometimes I’ll change it up and use a ‘Round’ bristle brush for a more ‘sketchy’ look as I then have less control over the marks it makes.

I consider myself a ‘daily painter’:  ‘Daily Painting’ is a movement that began in America whereby you commit to painting small and often.  The benefits are that with a small piece you are less emotionally invested, therefore more willing to take risks and try new things.  If it doesn’t work out – you put it down to experience and try again the next day.  Being small also makes them more affordable and easier to make space for on a wall at home. 

I teach regular one day workshops in ‘Floral Still Life’ and ‘Pet Portraits’ at various locations throughout the year.  Suitable for beginners and practicing artists alike, the critique is individually focused with no ‘right’, ‘wrong’ or ‘expected’ outcome, but rather a goal of individual development and original expression. Please see the workshops page for more details.