Artist's Statement

Winter Abstract

What is abstract art? There are perhaps as many definitions of abstract art as there are abstract paintings. The definition I prefer is: “Abstract art is art that does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of a visual reality but instead use shapes, colours, forms and gestural marks to achieve its effect.” However I think that even this definition (the Tate definition) does not encompass the essentially emotive perspective on life that artists like myself seek to convey.

When creating an abstract painting I never attempt to copy reality; I abstract and express elements of my internal vision of people, places and spaces. These elements are blended, textured and toned by the inner freedom that art affords me, and above all, by my emotional interpretation of the world I see around me.

I try to avoid describing the inspiration behind any given work; I want the viewer to approach my work without preconceptions. I want the viewer to come close and interpret the work relative to their personal life experiences and emotional references. If the viewer can empathise with the sense of freedom and love my work brings to me, I will have succeeded. 

I hope you will perhaps agree that Gerhard Richter’s influence on my scraping and over-painting techniques can be seen in much of my work. The French, Art Informal school of the 40s and 50s has also inspired many of my abstract compositions, and I hope you will find this sense of freedom reflected in my work.

I have always loved art and the freedom painting gives me. As a young girl, I was forced by personal circumstances to forgo a wonderful opportunity to accept a place at a famous London art academy. It was many years later that ill health forced my early retirement from a busy media position. It was then that I could finally give free rein to the sleeping love of art within.

Through art I could at last be free. The blending of colours, tones and temperatures of pigments, often incorporating a range of media, gives me pleasure almost beyond description. I hope you will enjoy viewing my work and sharing the sense of freedom I have tried to convey. I would be grateful for any comments – good or bad!