My style is inspired by postimpressionists, Australian artist Criss Canning and my former art instructor Carolyn Meyer. From a young age, I found impressionism particularly inspiring; the use of thick paint drew me in. Though I’ve always
enjoyed looking at impressionist portraits and landscapes, it was the still life that peaked my interest. Over the years as I learned to paint and develop my own impasto style, I found that the palette knife gave me a better way to express what I saw. The vibrancy and thickness of the oil colour is a reflection of my feelings toward the subject and the paint itself. Most of my paintings are completed in a single sitting so that they remain fresh and immediate. I paint on cradled panels, which are
lovingly handcrafted by my fatherin-law and patiently gessoed by my reluctant studio assistant—my loving husband. I start a painting off with a very loose sketch done with thinned oil paint. I then block in the colours using this as a guide. Finally, I apply paint from dark to light, from top to bottom, adding even thicker paint as I reach the focal points. Throughout the process, I use an impasto gel to keep the paint buttery, textural and easier to spread (it also quickens the drying time). I do use traditional techniques at various stages in my process and I believe that my style and use of colour gives a contemporary feel to an otherwise traditional subject.
Blue June, oil on cradled panel, 30 x 30" (76 x 76 cm) I bought lots of new blue oil colours and needed an excuse to use them all! At the time, blue delphiniums were everywhere and I got these from the local market. I wanted to showcase various hues of blue with a contrast of yelloworange. It’s always a challenge to paint monochromatically, but I found it fun to see the colours within the colour. For each flower, I pre-mixed various blues, blue-violets and red-violets. Over a thin colour wash, I used a small palette knife to sculpt the petals. I painted the oranges last to make sure they popped.
Sun and Shadows, oil on cradled panel, 30 x 30" (76 x 76 cm)
I can’t get enough of the various greens in England and I am really inspired by the patchwork fields of the English countryside. The best scenes are on a sunny day after it has stormed the night before. You get these amazing clouds that cast beautiful dark shapes across the sunlit fields. For this work, I used reference photos and memory to draw out the position of the fields. I go straight in with the palette knife and sometimes a large brush, working from the sky to the blue hazy fields, then to the vibrant foreground.
Peonies, Pears & Peacocks, oil on cradled panel, 36 x 36" (91 x 91 cm)
Every year I wait impatiently for peonies to arrive in the town market. I was recently working on a series of very large still lifes and wanted something bright and fun. I had been holding on to a beautiful turquoise fabric and thought it fit perfectly with the peonies. The pears tie it all together, mirroring the lime green in the foliage and the yellow centre of the flowers. I kept the pears loose and gestural, as the focus is the peonies. I painted the fabric last, adjusting the hue of the turquoise to best complement the overall piece.
Three Cows, oil on cradled panel, 20 x 20" (51 x 51 cm)
A short walk from my home in Suffolk are the Sudbury Water Meadows. Flanked by picturesque period cottages and the old mill lies the meadow, which is very popular with dog walkers and various cows. My eye was drawn to the contrast of three red cows against the yellowgreen grassland and the blue-green tree line. This was painted from a quick colour sketch that I did on location. To keep a more painterly feel back in the studio, I used a larger palette knife and lots of paint applied in broader gestures to make the grass less fiddly and more abstract.