I realized long ago I must be chlostrophobic. Most days, any weather, I have to be out walking, wildlife spotting, looking for subjects to paint or just taking the air. Open gates, winding lanes and distant woods are an invitation hard to refuse although these days the back creaks somewhat and the field glasses are in use more and more. Living in a (fairly) unspoilt area of Northamptonshire, close to Pitsford water, the sky is often full of wildfowl. Buzzards, kites and barn owls are common, along with hares, foxes and badgers on the ground. To glimpse a kingfisher or a muntjac makes my day.
Indoors, the chances are I am painting. Mortgages and families behind me, I can finally indulge in my cumpulsion and that is exactly what it is. Somehow, trying to capture the light, the mood of a special place, a moment in time, in a painting perfectly complements a love of the wild and I never tire of it. And most pieces get sold one way or another, so I feel the need to keep up a steady flow of work. I see nothing wrong doing similar subjects time and again, in different seasons perhaps or from different perspectives.