ARTIST'S STATEMENT

All my drawings emphasize being lost from outside pressures of work, family, financial difficulties, illness, and each one stems from a brief pencil sketch.
Sometimes my ideas are on hold for some time, possibly 2 - 3 years, before I tackle them head on. The simple sketches provide a foundation for the start
of this black and white form and I try to engross myself in one picture at a time. This way, I can focus all my energy and concentration on one drawing.
Outside influences come from bike rides in the country, dreams, yoga and meditation, and most of all, music. In recent years my motto to myself is if you
are going to do something, then do it well. I will immediately leave my drawings alone if distractions kick in or if I can feel myself waning. I won't push and
struggle to carry on drawing, feeling this will result in slapdash, not from the spirit, work. Sometimes I'll only work for 20 minutes in a day.In the more landscapey
drawings, it's the sort of view I would love to see from my window or a camping spot if out and about. The surreal ideas come as the drawing progresses,
like the faces in the' Rockary' .This work is a summary of how I would love life to unfold, including long bike rides, camping every night, attending yoga courses,
visiting far away beautiful places such as Japanese gardens or mountain ranges, but reality is only around the corner.....the next rent cheque, visiting family,
looking for somewhere 'ideal' to live, and working out at sea on the North Sea oil rigs - very uninspiring and a career I definitely want to get out of.
Let's see where my work takes me now......