The reasons why I start to paint a picture vary considerably. I may be inspired by a face, a scene, an historical period , or alternatively, I might want to try a new technique. When I planned "Golden Girl", I set myself the challenge of painting a face half in shadow.

 

Butser Ancient Farm inspires me to paint people living in the Iron Age (before the Romans came to Britain). I wondered how effective a portrait would be with the conical roofs in the background. This is a preliminary sketch using photographs, including several that I had taken during a visit. However I did not use this idea for the final painting.

Sometimes a painting develops in an unexpected way, due to the properties of soft pastels. My painting of the "Birth of a Warrior" attempted to recreate a scene within a tent. While I was creating an imaginary floor-covering, the fur rug became fluffier and multi-coloured as I enjoyed adding pastel strokes and blending the colours together. .

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