Solo Exhibition September 2007

These Are the Exmoor Landscapes I Couldn't Paint

(Oil paint on board - Framed behind glass - all sold.)

The six landscapes that form of the core of this exhibition were painted from memory. I tried to execute them 'en plein air' but it was the gorse season - no sooner was my easel erected than I fell prey to a severe asthma attack. After several puffs of Ventolin I gathered up all my paraphernalia, shoved it into the back of my Landrover and returned to the sterile safety of my own home, where I finished them off. My original idea was to follow the Monet concept and paint the vista at a given time (so the light, shadows etc. are time specific) - but I would be dead by now. So I gave myself a time limit of 90 minutes to complete the six indoors. I'm not a lover of landscape paintings - these images are a reaction to the environment, physical and visual. In truth I would be happier if Exmoor was concreted over and turned into an out of town shopping complex - I would get more pleasure from the space if it was.

Napalm Exmoor National Park

(Oil paint on canvas - sold)

The seventh (landscape) painting is four canvases stuck together -- the title is self explanatory. If this happened maybe a real regeneration of the Exmoor/North Devon economy could happen.

Napalm - a highly flammable jelly, produced by mixing a thickening agent with petrol, and used in flamethrowers and fire bombs.

Exmoor National Park - designated park area in south-western England, established in 1954. It occupies 693 sq km (267 sq mi).

Regeneration - in biology, the ability of a living organism to regrow a portion of its body that has been injured or lost. Plants may regenerate...

Weedkiller Over Clematis

(Oil paint on canvas - all sold)

The fashion for gardening, for an asthmatic, is a cruel joke. We have been 'doing' the garden at our home and I made the mistake of planting several climbing plants - I now know I have another contact allergy! Yet again concrete is the only true solution to my problems. The larger paintings in this exhibition are based on the colours these climbing plants go when you spray them with weedkiller.

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