I’ve been a full-time professional artist since 1996, working exclusively in oils. I was fortunate to be taken on almost immediately by the Catto Gallery in Hampstead, London, where I had my first one-man exhibition in 1998. I have had biennial shows there ever since, and one-man shows at many other galleries. (A full list of my exhibiting history is given on the Exhibitions page.)
My painting style is most succinctly described as impressionist. For as long as I can remember I have been fond of the work of the French impressionists, and my book, Painting like the Impressionists (Crowood Press, 2021), gives detailed practical advice for those wishing to incorporate impressionist techniques into their own painting.
What I especially like about the impressionists is their willingness to paint almost everything that passes before their eyes: for them, there is no hierarchy of worthiness in subject matter. Equally liberating, for me, is their brisk, vigorous paint-handling, especially as a means of conveying the fleeting effects of light. In fact, whenever I have the opportunity to compare a highly finished painting with a briefer study make in preparation for it — Turner and Constable come to mind here — I almost always prefer the looser, more vital treatment of the sketch, and this has undoubtedly shaped the way I paint.
Many of my favourite painters (e.g. Boudin, Monet, Sargent, Sickert, Whistler) loved painting Venice, and I am no different: its picturesque qualities are unique. I first visited in the 1990s, and have returned most years since. Apart from anything else, there is a special thrill to be had from tackling views that are essentially the same as those Canaletto was painting nearly 300 years ago.
For the past two decades I have lived in the nearest equivalent England has to Venice, the beautiful Georgian city of Bath. This has spurred an interest in architecture, which has influenced my cityscapes in the sense that I am now much more likely to make individual buildings the focus of the composition. In particular, I enjoy painting cathedral and church interiors, a genre the Dutch made their own during their Golden Age. There’s always the chance, then, that a new enthusiasm will push my painting in a new direction, though I cannot see myself straying too far from the precepts and principles of impressionism.