The Forest Collection - Artist’s Statement
The paintings shown here are part of a collection that I have been working on over the past ten years and are inspired by my love of forests and trees which have given me enormous pleasure since I was a small boy. In those early days I used trees as climbing frames, usually with some motive in mind like investigating a birds nest or to position myself high up to enjoy a different perspective on the landscape.
Nowadays, at my age, climbing is not such an attractive proposition but with an increasing awareness of the importance of trees to the survival of the planet and as a home to a wealth of wildlife I always take great pleasure walking in the woods.
From an artistic viewpoint there’s such a lot for the artist to ponder; the ever changing colours shapes and textures that create different moods and it’s this I try and capture in my paintings. The heavy fall of snow this winter was a particular delight at Warnham nature reserve and the birch woods had an almost fairyland quality, but on a late summers evening they change dramatically, silhouetted by the setting sun, reminding me of the Ents (tree people) in Lord of the Rings!