That’s what it’s always been about - feeling the world more intensely.
Every single one of my paintings aims to capture a moment in reality but to increase its significance or the feeling that it gives us. Usually that’s a celebration of the perfect summer’s day in the countryside or at the coast.
Predominantly my collection of paintings are all about celebrating the pursuit of the good life. The moments in life that confound the fact that life really is worth it - in respect of challenge and adversity. In some paintings there is a sense of nostalgia, whereas others capture a moody atmosphere. But sure enough in every painting there is always an element of looking towards the light - an element of unwavering optimism. There is always something in the paintings that carry us through some of life’s more challenging moments.
Life has a habit of becoming what we focus on, and therefore I always naturally gravitate towards vibrant and joyful landscape visions. After-all:
Life imitates art.
Art imitates life.
It’s also paradoxical, because I have often found myself creating my most vibrant and colourful paintings when I have been caught up in a slump of low moods and feeling bleak. But the process of painting which I liken it to meditation (because of the deep mental process that goes alongside the action of painting itself) gives similar benefits: In the process of painting itself - I begin to feel better in the current moment itself. I feel more hopeful with an elevated mindset and increased feeling of conviction and belief that better things are just over the horizon. I guess it’s a case that painting brings me to life - it helps me feel life more intensely by focusing on the vibrant and joyful landscapes that surround us. Or perhaps (as it can be paradoxical) the process of painting helps me escape feeling life so intensely - should it be a negative mood I have slipped into - which is the thing I am trying to escape from.
In our lives - I guess we’re all hungry and restless for something. And we must find a way to calm our restlessness and be content with our current levels of fullness, and the current moment itself . I guess for me painting does exactly that - it calms me and it reminds me that “this is enough”.