Shortlisted for The Castlegate Prize
Vision
Whilst buried neck deep in paint last week my phone pinged, I sighed and decided to ignore the message and continued to concentrate on the piece I was working on. Later when my hands were cleaner and my head a little freer I checked my e-mails to find a wonderful message saying my painting Vision had been shortlisted. Such exciting news!! Weeks before I had entered the 1 metre square painting on the very last day of the entry deadline, Valentines day as it happens. I had been swithering for a while about the painting, for me it is a special one, I didn’t quite know which forthcoming show it would feature in until I realised it was perfect for the Castlegate Art Prize. A newly launched competition which supports the mental health charity Young Minds by donating the entry fee to the charity. A very worthy cause. So many prizes and open exhibitions now a days charge a fee for a digital entry and pocket the money. I immediately warmed to this new approach. The prize asked for a painting inspired by the word ‘Hope’. As many of you may know my work circumnavigates many emotions, the landscape acts as a foil by which these emotions are conveyed. The initial concept of ‘Vision’ was to create a calm and uplifting sense of light. Winter can send many personalities of weather our way but occasionally in-between the storms and high winds there are those perfect moments where the air rests and rare warm light breaks through. We naturally stop and take a breath in these moments and our psyche reminds us spring isn’t too far away; Hope. I will keep my fingers tightly crossed over the next few weeks in hope that Vision makes the final cut, an exhibition of works by the finalists and perhaps I dare to even wonder if the painting will even secure the big prize? I will keep you posted as soon as I hear any news.
Vision • Oil on Board • 100cmx100cm
Welcome
New Artworks, New Ideas, New Website.
Over the past few years I have come to realise how important a good website is for an artist and I can honestly say that I am absolutely delighted with my new site. The journey of creating a site is very interesting and one that I would recommend every artist should go through. It helps you define and focus on your work and allows you to see it from a different perspective and therefore drives you to engage with every part of your practice from the studio through to public engagement.
It speaks of me and can perhaps be seen as another canvas or a window into my practice and research. My recent work will be on view for all to see and I have been able to include my important sketchbook work, quite often a private pursuit of many artists, but one that I feel is paramount to developing my practice. Instagram is a tool I find very useful, so I have provided easy links to my daily posts. There are so many ideas and new paintings waiting in the wings that I want to share and the addition of this eJournal allows me to do just that.
The idea is that this site functions as a journey: leading you through my background and artwork history, right up to the present day and my current exhibition and studio activities. Please enjoy navigating through the pages, share with your friends and remember to pop back for any updates and of course sign up to the emailing list if you don’t want to miss out on a new post.
Thanks goes out to David Cass for building this site, his wonderful aesthetics, expertise and patience!
Use the buttons below to explore further. Selected photography by Alistair Kerr | Website built by David Cass / CreateCreate.co