Where many fear a blank sheet of paper, it excites me, it could become anything, it urges me to tell a story. I don’t know the beginning, middle or end, I just pick up a big brush, then my eye roves around the colours around me, I pick one and simply start to paint.
Many of my paintings are intuitive, each action leads to the next. I don’t overthink it. I sometimes have music on. In my mind I am remembering what a place or an object makes me feel, what colours does it bring to mind.
This is one of my favourite paintings. It hangs above my desk where I write. I love the colours.
Not long after the death of my mum on a covid ward in 2020, I visited Whitstable during the first break after the initial intense lockdown when I hadn’t been allowed to visit her. I remember feeling overwhelmed by the sense of movement, the sound of people talking and laughing, the warmth of the sun and the reflections in the water. When I got back, I started to paint a memory of my day, the excitement I felt at being out and the intensity of feeling joy in just the everyday details. I think this painting captures that day perfectly. It reflects a story of a moment in time that positively thrummed with heightened emotions. It was a good day.
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