How I paint
The effect I hope to achieve with my brushstrokes in particular is that of the seemingly effortless marks of the Chinese calligrapher. Only endless practice is the way to creating apparently random marks, which have actually been applied with care, deliberation and an almost hypnotic mindset. At best they are crisp, well placed and describe the effect with a succinct ease – at worst they are a desperate scramble with an unwieldy brush and an untidy mess of desperate over-painting and badly conceived positioning.Time passes at a different speed whilst painting, and must be forgotten entirely if true concentration is to be achieved.
I use just four colours, plus white, which I find offer the most natural, effective and varied range of tones perfect for landscapes. These are:- Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre, French Ultramarine, and sap green. Occasionally a need for other colours arises, for example using process cyan, which I use with a touch of sienna to take off that brilliance and add a touch of turquoise, for those cool bright winter skies.