The Inquisitive Seal

I am a landscape artist, based in West Berkshire. I take my inspiration mainly from rural and coastal landscapes, and the transformative effects that seasonal and meteorological change have on these. I have a particular fascination with human intervention on the landscape and the resulting tension between permanence and impermanence: ancient monuments and architectural ruins being a favourite theme. I am intrigued by the way these become absorbed into the surrounding environment over time, while maintaining some presence of their own. I work in oils and acrylics, both in my studio and en plein air. I studied for an undergraduate degree in English with Art at Chichester in the early 1990’s, focusing mainly on sculpture, and only returned to painting in 2020.

I am a member of the Reading Guild of Artists (RGA), the Henley Art and Crafts Guild (HACG) and Open Studios West Berkshire and North Hampshire. I exhibit regularly with the RGA and HACG, and have also had work accepted for exhibition at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance, and ‘The Artist and Leisure Painter (TALP) Open’ at Patchings Art Centre, Nottingham (2022, 2023, 2024). My painting ‘Wilder’s Folly after the Rain’ was shortlisted for the final round of judging for the 2022 Royal Academy of Arts’ Summer Exhibition and I had work on show at the recent SAA Artists of the Year '24 Winners & Finalists exhibition in Nottingham. I have also had work featured in the Artists & Illustrators magazine ‘Artwork of the Month’ Editor’s Picks online competition (February 2022), in Leisure Painter magazine (August 2023 and June 2024) and in the journal of the Captain Cook Society. In June 2022 I had a fun day out at Royal Ascot participating as a ‘Wild Card’ artist in Series 8 of Sky Arts ‘Landscape Artist of the Year’.’

A breezy walk and a sparkling sea were a good enough reason to be walking along the shore, so the inquisitive seal that kept returning close to the shore to keep its eye on us was a joyful surprise. It
would stay above water for a while, then disappear, only to re-emerge minutes later in roughly the same spot close to the beach. Who was watching who was a question that remained unanswered.

Oil on Canvas Board

40x20cm (u/f dimensions)

Framed