I should have continued to study Art for longer at school but I have painted throughout my life for pleasure, whilst working as a languages teacher.     

Over the years, classes, courses, exhibitions and looking at artwork at every opportunity have helped me to improve and develop my work.     

I am always attracted to landscape subjects and I try to paint in a loose style; at the same time depicting the places I love reasonably accurately.     

Many of my favourite works were completed outdoors. There is often a freshness to them which cannot necessarily be captured in the studio.     

For many years, I used watercolour and sometimes oils for this purpose but I have found that pastels are often the best medium for this type of work. Sometimes I use bold colour and, at other times, a limited palette and more muted colour.     

In 1995 I visited the Isle of Harris for the first time and have returned to the Western Isles almost every year since then to paint. Other favourite subjects are closer to home, in Sunderland and in Northumberland.   ​ 

I am keen to develop my work further by simplifying the images increasingly and by exploring abstraction.  ​  

More of my work can be found at Painters Online