Inspirations

In this video I share why I like to paint around the corners of all of my canvasses.

Sometimes I like painting a subject larger than life. Artistic licence gives me the freedom of deciding my own scale to suit the canvas.

The rose is a universal symbol, while the insects need more attention. I have carefully placed each one in a pink petal.

I hope your eye is drawn to the whole composition, as they are inseparable in the garden.

I am drawn to cabbages and their spectacular leaves, and to tulips particularly in the spring. I wanted to paint a still life with no background, just the leaves bleeding out to the edges of the canvas.

Naturally, your eyes gravitate to the centre where you instantly see the coloured tulips, and suddenly, the green parrots of various sizes.

These three rabbits became almost lifelike as I painted them. I wanted to surround them with all the vegetables and greenery they could eat, hence the title Rabbit Heaven. The challenge was to use artistic licence and still make a convincing composition.

The basket went from brown to orange to yellow. The original idea was just lettuce, but it needed colour, so reds and oranges started to echo the red and white cloth in the foreground. I wanted the background to be simple, and had a wonderful time painting panels of grey and white. I suddenly thought of grey lettuce to blend in, and not interrupt the composition.

I found some wonderful round table mats with a single large vegetable on each one. They looked spectacular on our glass table, and inspired this painting. The white birch bark is sharp and jagged, but is filled with smooth round vegetables, with contrasting colours and textures. To emphasise the season, I have set the basket in a snow coloured landscape.

I am very interested in painting tropical birds with their vivid colours, and rainforest leaves with their extraordinary shapes and sizes. I chose the elegant George 111 sofa to show off the birds, regardless of the surrounding composition of bamboo and wild foliage. The contrast is what appeals to me and surprises most.

Each canvas continues around the corners with images linked to the painting. Frames are not required.

Music credit: Youtube creative commons music: Ghosts of California, Wes Hutchinson Best John

I am fascinated by painting brown paper. I scrunched and folded it to create an abstract design. The wild flowers and brown paper epitomise the simple and commonplace. The careful composition highlights the beauty in nature.

When I studied the composition of this painting I decided to dramatically change it. The hens were originally in a green field with a colourful hen house and a castle in the distance. The inspiration for the hens came from beautiful hens that we saw in China. The landscape turned to snow with the chickens creating their own warmth. I was drawn to recreate this gathering by recognising their continuous role in family life.

I have painted elephants throughout my life. I always find them very exciting subjects. In this painting I wanted to accentuate the colourful sticks and parakeets against the grey of the elephant and the green of the palm trees. The vibrant colours are typical of India.

This is my first painting in a series called Kitchen Art. I designed this painting to have little colour at the top. I deliberately concentrated on placing all the colours of the rainbow at the bottom which makes up the basket. A neutral background helps you focus on the detailed foreground. These paintings belong in the kitchen which is the heart of the house.

Our first view of the Taj Mahal was at dusk. The Taj was rising up out of the mist. Not even the crowds could interfere with this vision of beauty and incredible scale.

The Taj is naturally isolated from the wildlife and nature of India. I spontaneously decided to add the Rose Ringed Parakeets, as they were paying homage to this particular wonder of the world.