Welcome to my artwork web pages.
I was born in Sunderland in 1958 and lived there until going to University. I spent many hours at the beach and harbour at Seaburn, Roker and Whitburn when I was young and I really got to appreciate how the light and tones of the sea and surrounding buildings change so much as the weather changes. This is probably why many of my paintings are either coastal or river scenes. I now live in Burnham in South Buckinghamshire.
I have been a scientist for all of my working life following a degree in Biological Sciences at Manchester Poly. I did a PhD in Nottingham and took a post-doctoral position in Italy for 2 years. Returning to the UK in 1989. I worked as a research scientist in the pharmaceutical industry for over 25 years.
I’ve enjoyed painting and drawing for many years and decided to join a local community art class about 15 years ago. This was great and I began to appreciate the importance of colour, tone and perspective. Over the years I moved from drawing and painting in watercolour (where everyone seems to start) to experimenting with pastel and oil painting, which I find much more flexible medium to work with.
My passion is landscapes, whether they are rural or by the water, because this is where the effect of light can be most dramatic. My influences are contemporary artists like Richard Pikesley, Ken Howard and Fred Cuming, as well as classical painters, such as Turner.
Painting can be a solitary pastime but I find that attending the occasional class or painting with others helps to compare and contrast different approaches to the same subject. I have had a few tutors over the years but Vavara Neiman has taught me many basic drawing and painting skills and I have been fortunate recently to attend a couple of weekly courses in Wiltshire tutored by with Richard Pikesley. I continue to attend a life drawing class in Beaconsfield, which helps my understanding of shape, perspective and perspective.
For most of my painting work, I paint on location, finishing off in the studio using sketches and photographs, but, occasionally I see something that takes my eye and i use my iphone to capture the image for later.
I hope you enjoy my work.
Much of my work is available to purchase, if you are interested, please email on roly@gmx.com
