I am a painter of the human figure and a portraitist, and my sense of connection with trees arises from their anthropomorphic and emotive qualities. I want to convey the sense of movement within the static form, as it can seem as though the very life-force energy, is discernible in, or at least suggested by, the formation of the trunk and bark of certain trees. The sinuous and jointed qualities of many trees correlate with my studies of anatomy. Then at other times the texture of some corrugated bark transforms itself into a landscape, and leads me into another world.
Mostly I work on site in charcoal, graphite, ink and wash, lithographic crayon and conté, concerned with one particular tree’s physical presence, which can be overwhelming. It is important for me to feel that. Other drawings, more ambiguous, develop in the studio, loosely based on work made on site, or from imagination. There are always pieces of bark, knotted and twisted branches in the studio which I have collected for study and inspiration.