My inspiration is the natural world – the very Earth itself, its bones the rocks and minerals, the oceans teeming with life, the animals living on its surface and the plants rooted in its soil, the creatures that have lived in ages long gone and left their imprints in the rocks.

All this for me is perfectly summed up in the Gaia philosophy – that the Earth is a living, self-regulating  system, where everything interlocks in a  wondrous harmony

I approach my subjects in two ways.  Part of me wants to examine everything in close detail and reproduce that detail in exact realism.  Every wrinkle on an elephant’s skin, every hair on a beloved pet, every striation in a shell.  I hope to get a microscope soon and look at even smaller life forms!

My other approach  is more experimental, and is related to the mystery behind all this life – its unity and diversity, its harmony and exuberance – the great Dance of Life taking place on this beautiful jewel in space, our Earth.  In these works I am responding emotionally to the essence of what I see.

The other great influence in my life is literature and poetry, from the ancient writings to the present day.  I love the lyrical poetry of Sappho, the rhythm of the Anglo-Saxon sagas,  and the musical Romantics, especially Byron and Keats.  John Keats is for me ‘the artist’s poet’ – every line of his poetry  conjures up images in my mind full of colour, light and shadow.  Read just one poem, for example ‘Ode to Autumn’, and the visions tumble one after the other like a river of jewels.  I am planning a series of paintings inspired by his poetry.

And then of course there’s Shakespeare…….

And the myths and legends that mankind has had from our dream-time, when we were closer to the Earth, trying to make sense of the world around us, these I have loved from a child.

It’s all tied in – the living planet, its flora and fauna, the stories, the poetry, the music of the spheres – Gaia – and if I can portray and share a little of this wonder and joy, then I am happy.

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