Texture - visual and physical.

How do you create interesting textures in your work? As with all things art we will each have our own methods and techniques when it comes to textured surfaces - that’s if you like to work in this way. My paintings are very much about texture, even when the surface may be quite smooth [which doesn’t tend to be the norm], I still like to create a sense of visual texture. Layering different colours and values can make a flat surface look like it has depth, and this gives you more freedom to play around with colour and tone contrasts.

In my workshops I always talk about taking the time to build up a painting rather than rushing through it to get to a finished piece within the confines of what might be just a few hours. Why? Because I see each layer as an opportunity to experiment, explore and learn so that by the time I get to my final layer I have made some valuable, considered decisions along the way.

Not always easy but it’s one of the techniques that really pushes me through a painting, I see it as a way of literally representing a landscape - you don’t always see the layers under its surface but you know they are there, and it’s the same when I am painting….. it’s all bout build towards it’s surface!