About Colin

I live in North Suffolk and work in my straw-bale shed which I built a few years ago at the top of our garden. I studied art at Bath Academy of Art in Corsham and taught in Secondary schools in Yorkshire and Norfolk.

Art Statement

At first sight, my work may seem rather diverse, so I feel it is important to explain the reasons for this. Much of my work is spent exploring media, different techniques and materials. Subject matter and ideas usually invite a particular use of materials to enable ideas to be effectively expressed.

For example, my large narrative drawings require the intense blackness of different hardnesses of charcoal pencil, (as opposed to grey graphite pencil) which consequently, have to be made needle sharp through constant sharpening. Careful masking has to be employed to prevent smudging.

At the other extreme, where chance can be exploited, the saturated colour of the land and seascapes in Greece can be described using the chance puddling of watercolour on the non-absorbent surface of primed MDF, having applied watercolour masking fluid to delineate shapes in the design. I allow the paint to slowly dry and then, sometimes, I slightly tip the board so that the paint settles more thickly in certain areas.

I describe the details of these techniques to illustrate my interest in ensuring that my work undergoes changes and renewal.

This open-ended exploratory way of working constantly creates changes of style and manner, which hopefully, makes the body of work interesting.