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'A lifetime of Inspiration captured in watercolour' - The Permanent exhibition held within the Ashley Jackson Gallery

 I believe that painting requires two elements , the skill and the passion of the artist. Whereas you can be taught to paint a picture which is mechanically constructed you need to know about composition, perspective etc but to do a painting you need all these elements but the most important attribute is to put your soul and passion in to the work,now you have a painting

No one can teach you the passion that comes from within. You have to have a relationship with your subject, mine is the Yorkshire Moor or my mistress as I like to call her for her contours are those of the female form and just like a woman she can warm your heart, chill you to the bone or make you cry such is the power of the elements and the atmosphere created.

When I stand upon the moors I cannot paint what I don't feel thus there are days and weeks when I cannot paint I have to wait until I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand on end and I get a "wow" feeling. Something else has to connect rather than just the visual senses.

I hope that when you look at my paintings you might also feel a connection to imagine the wet marsh land beneath your feet, the impending storm clouds gathering and the wind in your face for this is what I wish to convey through the watercolour landscape. I know that photographs cannot always do justice to the scale or depth of colour of my watercolour paintings, some of which are over 4ft wide and should you get the opportunity to call into the Gallery in Holmfirth, Yorkshire you will hopefully see what I mean.

As a professional artist for over 60years I hope that Art will find away back to skills and passion rather than technicians and clinicians, if you were writing a letter to a loved one would you not want to write it personally rather than have some one else dictate it for you?

Perhaps I am a romantic at heart.....but Art has been hijacked by the pseudo intellectuals, telling others what they should like.