Twenty Years of Painting

2024 marks 20 years since I embarked on the path of becoming a professional. I want to share the stories behind some of my artwork, one from each year. It’s been difficult to decide which, but I felt that this selection includes some of my most popular pieces. Thank you to all my customers and followers, who have come along on this journey with me.

This page will be updated regularly until I reach 2024.

2004 - 5 Hebridean Sheep

It was bitterly cold and the wind was biting at my face and fingers whilst I sketched, I had just moved to the Clwydian Hills in North Wales and was captivated by my new surroundings. The heavy hill snow was far removed from suburbs of Nottingham where I had moved from, the flock of sheep were burying their heads under it to find grazing.  I found the Hebridean sheep striking with their thick black fleece contrasting against the gleaming snow, and their magnificent double horns. The approaching snow clouds were dark and threatening with the glow of the setting sun trying to shine through. Inspired by nature and its harshness, I had to paint it! I had yearned to paint for so long, and with the move to Wales here was my chance – I threw myself into it.

Now that I’ve lived for twenty years in the Clwydian Hills, the sheep have now moved on, but I still love the breed and it has a special meaning whenever I see a Hebridean. I’m now familiar with the colder winters of the hills and enjoy the snow, when I’m not painting it, I cosy up by the fire! In the past twenty years I’ve painted many subjects but still love the simplicity of this piece, its neutral tones, almost monochrome, apart from the bright yellow clouds. In fact, I didn’t use many colours mainly ultramarine and raw umber, a colour palette I’ve used time and time again in my painting evolution.

2005 - Traeth Cricieth & Castell Cricieth

Standing on the pebble beach with the sea breeze blowing and the waves crashing on the shore, I wanted to capture the force of the sea in my painting.

2005 was my second year as a professional artist, my style was evolving and I was exploring the coastline. Criccieth has special meaning for me and my partner, Jon, who introduced me to his childhood “happy place”, it is a family meeting point with fond memories and as well as having a dramatic hilltop castle overlooking the beach, it is a gateway to the beautiful Llŷn Peninsula.

I’ve painted here early morning, when the high tide lapped quietly on the rocks and drawn a sunset, with light streaming from the clouds in charcoal, but in 2005 I was inspired to painted this pair of winter seascapes in neutral colours, with the castle silhouetted against the sky.

2006 - Rhuthun yn y Gaeaf

I was with my partner, Jon, driving through a winter landscape, the new snowfall carpeted the hills creating a magical wonderland.

I live in an inspiring and beautiful area, the Clwydian Range in North East Wales. Its peaks stretch from the coast at Prestatyn to Llangollen, Moel Famau being the highest. Some hills have the remains of iron age hill forts, and sometimes I like to imagine how those people lived in the past, it must have been a hard existence but they would be compensated by magnificent views every day.

We drove down to the market town of Ruthin, which sits in the Vale of Clwyd, from which the hills appear to rise, as continuous chain of rolling landscape. They glistened white behind the spire of St Peter’s church and the buildings of the town, from medieval to modern.

Where could we find the perfect view? We drove up a lane and took a wrong turn, unexpectedly finding what we were looking for - the reddish winter foliage standing out against the white snow. I had to capture this scene, with free, loose brushwork.

Looking back, this painting “Rhuthun yn un Gaeaf” or Ruthin in Winter, was released as a limited edition print which I’ve sold to many people with their own stories and fond memories of Ruthin. It’s been a pleasure to listen to them over the years in our galleries.

2007 - Winter Feeding Time

This one isn’t a painting, in 2007 we were getting ready to open a new gallery and I was experimenting more with charcoal drawing. I hadn’t used this much since my student days when we would draw all day, either from life models or out in the street. Charcoal has the ability to record light and dark and hard and soft edges, I learned that a simple piece of charred willow can recreate atmosphere and drama.

We were near our home when we saw this striking scene of a farmer moving his flock in the snow, the light was streaming though the bare winter trees and reflecting on the white frosty ground. I thought of the care that a shepherd has for his sheep and how they depend on the farmer to bring food during the winter. The field was full of bleating animals moving together. I got back to the studio and drew, expressing the feelings I had, it took a while to recreate the scene with so many sheep, I felt charcoal helped to give the effect of light and the feeling of the soft fleece against white snow. The drawing was exhibited in the Royal Cambrian Academy, where it sold.

2008 - Snowdonia from the East

The A5 from the Clwydians to Eryri became a regular journey when we opened our gallery in Betws-y-coed, with the Eryri mountain range stretching across the horizon before us. I explored some of the lanes around the Giler Arms Pub near Pentrefoelas and found a panorama of rolling fields with the mountains in blue shadow standing proud against the cloudy sky.

The resulting painting “Snowdonia from the East” was hung in our new gallery in Betws-y-coed. Then a wonderful thing happened – it was purchased by the National Library of Wales for their collection. I remember the day two staff, with a van came to the gallery to take it to its new home, I was so excited and it happened to be my birthday which made it doubly memorable!

Jon and I had an amazing day in Aberystwyth at the National Library with the curator who kindly showed us many treasures, and I also saw my painting - it had been chosen by a member of staff to hang in an office space, so it could be enjoyed by all! 😊

I was so honoured, and I like to think that “Snowdonia from the East” now belongs to everyone.

2009 - Fishing Boats at Moelfre

Our gallery in Betws-y-coed had been open for a year and I decided to have an exhibition of charcoals and paintings of Ynys Môn. During a trip to the island earlier in the year I parked up at Moelfre to paint plein air the view of the fishing boats on the beach. The weather was quite threatening and I managed to paint the dark cloud approaching. A friendly gentlemen was chatting to me about my technique and he asked if he could take a photo of me at the easel, which he later kindly forwarded to me. As we chatted the droplets began to fall out of the sky, the canvas was getting wet and I loaded all my equipment into the back of my car so I could complete the painting back in the studio.

Over the years I’ve had some lovely conversations with customers who remembered the shop at the top of the road selling knitting wool, and people who had enjoyed themselves in the pub!

2010 - Towards Ogwen Valley

One of my favourite trails in Eryri is in the Ogwen Valley walking from Ogwen cottage to Cwm Idwal. From the stony path there are incredible views of Tryfan, Pen-yr-Ole Wen, Y Garn, down into Nant Ffrancon and Llyn Ogwen before you arrive in stunning Cwm Idwal. I wanted capture the view of the undulating landscape under grey clouds. Although this typical weather often is the butt of complaints, unlike a sunny day, it really brings out the colours of fresh green hillsides and there are beautiful purple hues in the clouds.

2011 - Wall

On a late afternoon in summer I set out with Jon for a painting session in Nant Ffrancon. The warm, low sun gives wonderful light for painting at this time of day, with purple blue shadows on the mountain sides, so I was prepared for a plein air oil painting session to capture these colours.

After setting up my easel and mixing my paint, instead of a broad landscape, I was drawn to a vertical subject, a dry stone wall snaking up the side of Pen yr Ole Wen from the A5. My mind wondered how this was built on such a steep incline? Perhaps the farmers found rocks in the fields rather than transporting them up the hillside?

Rather than oil paint I used charcoal to convey the rockiness and altered the perspective slightly to show the detail of the wall higher up. This charcoal is a tribute to those who have made a living in difficult terrain over the centuries in Eryri.

2012 - Llyn Tegid yn y Gaeaf

This is perhaps one of my most moody images, I wasn’t planning a painting trip that day, but happened upon the scene and felt it must be painted. I was with Jon, driving near Bala in winter and we decided to stop by the pebbly shore of Llyn Tegid.

The weather was wet and miserable the rain clouds and mist obscuring the view of the surrounding hills, I wondered why had we stopped at all, it was so gloomy. The low winter sun was also hidden from view until a gap in the clouds appeared and the sun beams shone through on to the lake illuminating the rippled water, transforming the scene.

Back in the studio, I built the painting up in layers of thinned paint, to recreate the feeling of mist and atmosphere. Sometimes visitors to the gallery think they are looking at a moonlit night sky, until I explain how strange the weather was that day.

2013 - In the Shade

During the spring I was visiting my friends’ farm to spend time studying them at work. It was a busy time as it was lambing season, I was inspired by new life everywhere.

We were with a ewe who was having difficulty giving birth, so my friends quickly stepped in to assist. They suggested the scene may make a good subject for a painting, but I then I noticed their border collie finding a quiet place to wait in the shade of a trailer He was so patient and seemed to know what was going on.

Back at the studio I recreated the image in charcoal, the sheepdog’s striking face half white half black emphasised his sharp eyes. I hoped to capture his nature as well as a moment in time.

2014 - The Sale

By 2014 I was becoming known amongst the farming community for my paintings and drawings of livestock and I was invited along to an auction of Welsh Black cattle at a North Wales farm. It was very busy in the cattle sheds so I started sketching the cattle and the farmers.

It was a very social event, with animated conversations amongst old friends and young children playing, whilst the grown-ups decided which cattle to bid for. There was such an bustling atmosphere in the barn I decided to make a charcoal drawing of the event itself. I drew the auctioneers in white coats and farmers peering over the barriers as the Welsh Black cattle came past. It is quite a different subject for me, with no cattle in the drawing, but I enjoyed the challenge of including so many people.