Artists Statement 16.11.2021

I have lived by the North East coastline for over half of my life and have always been inspired by the sea, shoreline and big open skies. It’s a place that can bring peace and reflection and then give the experience of the exhilarating power of nature. I try to capture some of my feelings about my time in this unique place – the boundary between the earth and the sea. Sometimes I add people to give some narrative that compliments the scene.  My painting style could be called hard edge realism, although brush strokes are allowed.  I work from drawings, photographs and memories, the paintings are made up of different elements combined to create a mood or atmosphere. Composition and colour palette play an important part as does the scale, working from small A5, to 4 feet square. My smaller paintings tend to be on board or panel while larger paintings are on canvas of various textures. My favoured medium is oil paint though I have used acrylics. Influences are many but chiefly figurative, Edward hopper, The English Ruralists, the Dutch mini masters, and modern artists such as Ben Aronson.

I hope you will find that my paintings work on a number of levels and that they evoke positive feelings and a sense of peace.

Jon Old