For me it is also about integrating my other interests, astronomy and cosmology, so at various times I will paint Venus just after sunset or Venus and the crescent Moon, or noctilucent clouds. I make direct observations through my telescope often drawing directly what I see and have built my own observatory to help with this. You can see some more of this on the astronomy page, where you can see some of the observations I have made. 

So It’s about expanding our idea of what a landscape is capable of representing. When I paint Venus it is not just a randomly placed speck of white paint, having built my own observatory I can follow the progress of the planets along the ecliptic and in the case of Venus because it is close enough to us to be able to observe phases similar to the Moon I can included disc illumination, right ascension, declination co ordinates and distance which I include along with the title of the work on the back of the canvas. It is quite astonishing to make these observations as after so many years of being involved in astronomy I can contemplate the position of Venus in relation to the Earth and the sun. It gives me such a feeling of tranquility, of belonging to be able to do this to show that there is more than just the representation of a landscape or seascape - sudenly one is aware of how things are profoundly interconnected.

My hobbies, actually I don’t particularly like this term as cycling is part of how I produce my artwork and astronomy is far more than just a hobby it often features in the work and philosophically informs what I am trying to achieve with my work. so Long distance cycle touring, astronimy, walking and scrambling up mountains, it’s all part of the same process. You can check out some of the more hobby like things I get up to on the odd’s n ends page. 

CV……(sort of, but with added odd’s n’ end’s)

Artists Statement: As far back as I can remember I have been fascinated by nature from watching atlantic storms, wildlife, thunderstorms to observing the universe through a telescope, drawing the Moon….

Luna craters Catherina, Cyrillus and Theophilus Graphite on Paper A4

Imaging sunspots….

sunspots 24th July 2004

planets galaxies and always being a part of the experience through drawing and painting, cycling and mountaineering. Having this constant interaction with nature has had a profound effect on my philosophical outlook. I view the emergence of consciousness as the universe become self aware that there is a deep and profound interconnection between consciousness and nature. There is a creative energy to the way the sea, the land, the atmosphere, the artist interact, and light, it seems to me that there is the light of nature and the light of consciousness through which we explore the world  through a dynamic and creative relationship between our conscius selves and natue. However I do not view the light of mind and the light of nature as separate creations but as natural phenomena emerging through the natural evolution of the universe and the laws of nature. So I paint the creative fluid interaction between nature and mind.

Art Education:

1980 - 1982 Ruskin County 6th form grammer.

1982 - 1984 Mid Cheshire College of Futher Education Northwich Cheshire.

I spent two years doing a ground course and foundation course. These two years are probably my favourite of all my years in education. This is when learning finally became fun and exciting just experimentation with materials and methods and central throughout was life drawing something I still do today this is were I learnt how to draw and I loved every minute. I spent two full days every week for two years in the life room. If anything is going to teach you to draw, well that will do it. It wasn’t just a typical drawing from one day long pose in fact seeing the model became something of a rarity. The tutors would do everything to playfully disguise, disrupt, subvert any traditional approach to life drawing. It was experimentation all the way. to the point of drawing in total darkness or with one small candle.

Well this is me being brave now I don’t have all the work I did back then but I do have some sketchbooks. So here are a couple of my very first life drawings from Sept. 1983.

1984 -1987 Polytechnic Wolverhampton B.A. (hons.) Fine Art.

After all the experimental dawing and just fun of the foundation course I found the degree course a little too serious and quite daunting. The tutors had a lot to live up to as far as I was concerned as my foundation tutor a Mr. John Renshaw was literally inspiring. It was in some respects an odd place for me to choose, and looking back in hindsight I had chosen to do my degree as far away from any coastline as you can just about be…Wolverhampton Polytechnic. I soon began to spend time awy from Wolverhampton, making visits to St. Ives, Tenby and even Paris I also managed to secure a student exchange with Limmerick in Ireland in my second year and that was something special. I also metmy partner Julia who accompanied me on many of these visits. Here are some images of the work I did whilst on my student exchange to Limerick and during the time we spent on the dingle peninsular at Dun an Oir bay….

From left to right Dun an Oir, Rain Dun an Oir, Sunset Dun an Oir, and Sunset Dun and Oir 2. All watercolours.

From left to right Sunset Morecambe Bay. Watercoulour. Self portrait. Pencil on paper

1991 - 1992 Academy of Fine Arts Krakow Poland.

Ten month British Council/Polish Government postgraduate scholarship

This was my third visit to Poland Julia had been out in 1987 and again in 1989 to do the same scholarship so April 1987 was my first visit for only 10 days, after which I spent 6 months in Austarlia gold prospecting with my Dad. But here are some images from that oh so distant time.

from left to right is me arriving in Krakow 7 am, Julia and Bogusia, Eva and some of us enjoying cafe culture.

 It was a remarkable place, and my first visit was before the Berlin Wall came down. And a remarkable experience. The student hostel in Krakow was the gestapo headquaters during world war 2 and had a museum in the basement.

From left to right Julia me and Kai and me..Top of Swinica Tatra mountains.

We visited the Tatra mountains as often as possible drank far to much vodka …especially Zubrovka.

and this is where we stayed while visiting the Tatra mountains…in a wonderful house in a small village called Zab. Back then it wasn’t all fun and games there were some very serious polution problems in Krakow. The city was just crumbling away. Right next door to Krakow is Nova Huta. A ‘gift’ to the Polish people from Stalin - one of the most poluting open cast steel foundries ever. The polution was staggering…..some gift. Here’s a couple of drawings I did from one of Krakow’s Kopiec.

The polution would hang in the air particularly on still summer days.

Ok from left to right, First two images are from 1987. Mmmm did Banksi ever visit Krakow I wonder !!!!! and this is our visit to, and helping ourselves to some pieces of the Berlin wall in 1989. The decay of Krakow due to lack of money and the polution from Nova Huta really got to me I became increasingly interested in the flaking and crumbling achitecture, the friends I made took me to see some really interesting theatre based on Kantor and it was all just overwhelmingly interesting. Most of the work I did out there was really sketchbook orientated though I did do some large oils and exhibited at Krakow academy of fine Arts, a central gallery - Dom Poloni in Krakow and the center for culture in Nova Huta.

These are from one of my sketchbooks and later became the starting point for a cosmological series of works for my MA show a couple of years later at the University of Wales…

and now I am returning to these works and begining to think about a new series based on this work.

1994 - 1996 M.A. Fine Art University of Wales Institute Cardiff.

Awards:

1984 Cheshire County Council discretionary award to study Foundation at Mid Cheshire College of Further Education Northwich Cheshire.

1985, 1986, 1987 Shell Trust for higher education awards to study for my B.A. at the Polytechic Wolverhampton

1991 - 1992 Ten month British Council/Polish government postgraduate scholarship to study painting at the Academy of Fine Arts Krakow Poland.