I’m a painter. My subject matter is the natural landscape. I’m interested in the relationship, for better and worse, between people and nature.
My love for the landscape started in childhood. I grew up in a pit village, and I saw its once abundant woods and fields become spoiled by mining. Since then, my knowledge of the natural landscape, and my mission to encourage people to care more about it have developed in tandem with my creative practice. I now live on the Yorkshire edge of the Peak District National Park, and I have a studio at Yorkshire Artspace in Sheffield city centre.
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I recently had four of my satellite paintings in ‘From Sky to Sea: Artists and Water’ at Sheffield’s Millennium Galleries.
In 2022 I held my first solo show ‘Dark Peak Demi Paradise’, a sequence of paintings of the Upper Derwent Valley, part of the Peak District National Park’s upland peat landscape. I spent many hours there in the months following my mum’s death. Making the paintings was my way of coming to terms with it.
In 2017 I was awarded a 2-year post by Derbyshire County Council as Peak District National Park artist in residence based at Buxton Museum. I have exhibited work around the UK. I have worked with many partners, including the National Trust, The University of Sheffield, and the National Coal Mining Museum. My work has made its way into 4 permanent public collections, and in 2018 my work with residents of former mining villages was recognised by the Government.
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I make my paintings in several different ways.
I make paintings that depict the landscape as places of emotion. They start with me spending time just being in the landscape. The paintings I make back in the studio are of memories of how the landscape looked and the emotions I felt when I was there.
I make intricate and detailed drawings of trees using coal – the material that trees eventually become.
And I make what I call satellite paintings using techniques that replicate the natural process that they depict, such as watersheds, melting ice, and glaciers. These works can help people understand the science behind natural processes.
I also look for opportunities for others to get involved in my process. I have worked with poets, dancers, choreographers, musicians, and composers. I have worked with scientists and experts in other fields, especially those who work and manage the land. And, as an important part of my practice, I engage the public.