Influences

My chief influences are Folk Art and Naive Art. I have always been fascinated by the art of ancient civilisations. As a child growing up in London I spent many happy visits to museums. For me the motifs of flora and fauna depicted in a mosaic floor or wall painting speak to us down the ages. These symbols were carried across continents by early nomadic peoples often recurring patterns and images decorating pottery, textiles and every day objects from the earliest images found on the walls of caves. These symbols and images evolved into folk tales and fairy tales which form the embodiment of these ancient journeys which have seeped into our psyche or collective consciousness. The symbol of birds is something I return to again and again.

Now the colours and light of the West Penwith landscapes are my influences. Not just the beauty of the sea but also the mysterious moorland where windswept trees point to ancient standing stones. A moment in time captures this mood for me. Whilst travelling up on the moors at dusk my car came to a hault as a fox crossed my path. He glanced at me and then went on his way. At that moment gliding out of the mists like a ghost a barn owl floated over a dew pond where hung the reflection of the crescent moon. My paintings and collographs are an attempt in some way to capture something of this magic.