Broadway Arts Festival 2020

I am happy to announce that my paintings ‘Aonach Mor I’ and ‘Aonach Mor ii’ have been selected for the Broadway Arts Festival Open Exhibition 2020. This year the show will take place online running from the 29th until the 31st December. Work will be available to view and purchase during this period.

These paintings are based on my trip to Scotland where we went up into the mountains. I was taken by the quiet atmosphere and the mist that made everything seem very atmospheric and still. These pieces can be seen in the natural landscapes section of the website.

Aonach Mor (no.2)

Today i completed a second painting based on my recent trip to Scotland, "Aonach Mor (no.2)".  For me this piece works on two levels.  Firstly it depicts the incredible scenery and atmosphere of the place but it is also another piece of work that looks at the sense of stillness and quietness that such a place inspires.  For a while now this theme has been running through most of my work and is a reflection of my own desire to reduce the mental chatter and overthinking that has become habitual to me.

I have many other ideas based on the scenery of Scotland and plan to produce more on the theme.   Aonach Mor (no.2) is a natural companion to the first painting but both work on their own merits.  An image of these pieces can be found in the Natural Landscapes section of this website.

Aonach Mor

I have just completed my new painting, "Aonach Mor", which depicts one of the mountains in Scotland near Ben Nevis.  The scene shows the view near the top which was very atmospheric and inspiring.  The intention is for this to be the first in a series of paintings of this nature.

David Bowie once said that when looking at the work of Frank Auerbach "I want to sound like that looks".  For me it has often been music that has inspired my paintings.  I would like my paintings to convey a similar feeling to the music of Stars of the Lid (who are in turn inspired by film)!

As with all my work the surface image is just the basic element of the painting.  Behind that is the intention of the work or what has brought it into existence.  In recent times, in an attempt to deal with stress or anxiety i have found being out in nature to be quite soothing no matter what the weather.  It enables me to switch off my compulsive thinking and just enjoy being in the moment.  When painting "Aonach Mor" those moments of clarity, space and stillness were relived and I feel that this is reflected in the work.