artist's statement

In recent years I have been working in linocut and other relief printmaking techniques, mainly monoprint, collagraph and drypoint.

Charcoal drawing also features in my present work and in contrast to printmaking, where a certain amount of planning is required, I enjoy the spontaneity and freedom of approach that this medium allows.

My skills in printmaking have developed from a lifetime of painting and drawing where I acquired a deep understanding of the values of form, colour and composition. Drawing is important in my work, not only in a compositional sense, but also as a way of working out how to create a printed image from an inspirational source.

The success of a relief print lies largely in contrasts between light and dark or in the case of colour, the contrast of one colour on or beside another. Then there are other aspects to be considered, for example, subtle changes in technique to give extra meaning to the image, by way of colour gradations for example, and the cutting of bold or sensitive marks to create texture and interest.

I love the challenge of working in this exciting and versatile medium, the self-imposed restraints of colour and line, cutting the block, working in mirror image and thinking in the negative, not knowing if it will work until the first print is 'pulled'. Inevitably there are many disappointments and there is always something to be learned, but this makes the successes all the more satisfying when they occur.

You will see from my pictures that most of my work is inspired by the life and landscape of North Devon, and because I have lived here all my life it is also influenced by memory and the traditions of the countryside.