I am an artist based in southern England and I work in oil, watercolour and charcoal. My subjects are primarily landscapes, seascapes and still lifes depicted from direct observation. I also paint 'narrative' compositions, where what is painted on the canvas tips into a bigger story. The starting point for these narrative paintings is usually a mundane object or scene, such as a washing line, old shed or deserted bus stop, around which a wider plot is gradually developed. I mostly favour a muted palette, because for me it is the quieter tones that offer the most interesting ways to explore and capture the shifting balance between light, shade and mood. Sometimes a painting can feel finished after just one session, but more often I build my way to the final composition, applying numerous layers of paint until they properly reflect what I am trying to achieve. I have exhibited widely, am a member of the Oxford Arts Society and was recently awarded the Swire Ridgeway Arts Prize.