The immediacy of drawing helps me to develop a visual language, which in turn shapes my creative process in printmaking.  I deconstruct and rework my prints over a period of time, sometimes years, combining a variety of techniques, so there is often a surface patina.  The progression and history of the piece form an essential part of the image, and the creative process changes and develops as I gain more experience.  The alchemy that takes place with paper, ink, objects and marks as it passes through the press is what constantly excites and surprises me.  It’s an organic process!

Inspiration

I have worked commercially as a painter for  many years – as a scenic artist in the theatre, as a mural painter and with a puppet animation company.  This has involved working on a large scale at speed and also on a small scale, using many different types of products and materials.  It’s been an important influence on me – the physical nature of printmaking, the body in motion.  I also walk, cycle and climb regularly, and the Lake District has a special resonance.  It’s the detail in a huge landscape that catches the eye, the connection and contact with wind, rain, rock and stretches of moorland; my work is an attempt to capture these sensations.  I was brought up in Africa and the colours, the heat of the land and the intensity of sky, are often reflected in my work.  It is also important to me to continue drawing in the landscape and my regular practice of life drawing, both of which inform the lines and shapes that become my language with printmaking.