The air is crisp & sparkles dance among the dunes. Wooden fences are cloaked with frost. There’s a stillness, before the seas come and wash the glinting diamonds back into the depths…

“Kissed by the Water’s Edge” is a mixed media painting inspired by the reeds that stood flanking the banks of the river… The way the reeds gently danced, swaying to and fro in the breeze, their heads nodding in homage to the water…sending soft kisses on the wind…

There’s something about a concertina sketchbook; the format seems so perfect for the narrative I wish to convey. It goes on and on and on. You can fold the book in various ways so different landscapes appear; a never-ending source of delight!

Of Quiet Moments is an expressive painting in a muted, soothing palette, inspired by early mornings, sat with a steaming mug of coffee watching the river come to life…a moment of calm before the day ahead…

Well before lockdown, I used to spend long periods beside the river. I loved walking along its banks, absorbing its changing moods and cast of characters; from the chattering swallows to the haughty swans, to fleeting flashes of blue and orange, to footprints in the mud telling of night time visitors.

This river landscape provided a whole world of inspiration…

Those liminal edges between land and sea and sky… Elemental forces at work; fast moving skies, crashing waves, constantly changing shoreline.

The end of a glorious summer day. The light was fading, sounds of the day melting away, punctured only by the chattering of the swallows and house martins as they swooped and skimmed over the surface of the water, before heading off to roost. I recall sitting on the riverbank, cool drink in hand, aware of the hush that was ‘settling’ over the landscape; that period before the stars of the nighttime - both in the heavens and on land - made their appearance. The trees and tall reeds seemed to bow to the river, paying homage, before sharing stories from the day; the meandering river carrying them downstream, scattering them on the breeze…

Is what I thought was important really the case…? Was the track I was on the right one…? I was so worried that not having created for such a long time, I would lose my carefully cultivated, ‘audience’, my social media followers and ultimately my small art business…