About My Work
Following a break of ten years I returned to photography with a fresh passion to create something a little different. I have spent the last few years developing and refining my abstract style which veers away from a conventional photographic approach.My images are all based around the natural landscape viewed from slightly a different perspective. The work provides an interpretation of my thoughts and feelings at the moment of recording the initial images together with my reaction to the chosen environment.
Outside
The claustrophobia that Christmas holidays bring forced me to drag my Son into the frosty outside. This was the first of many finger-numbing visits to Forbes Hole, a small local nature reserve based on the edge of Long Eaton. The visits gave me the inspiration to create the series of images I have called ‘Outside’. The images collected at the site were just the starting point; over a period of several months I manipulated the work to emphasize the darkness and harsh beauty of winter. The idea of being trapped was the basis of this collection; I was drawn to the way the ice created a natural barrier almost protecting life in the ponds from the outside. My pictures place the viewer beneath the safety of the ice viewing the slightly frightening uncertain world outside.In a Different Light
For my latest work ‘in a different light’ I have returned to a park where I spent much of my childhood. Growing up near Wollaton Park I remember spending many long school holidays exploring the 500 acres of historic gardens and grounds. This exhibition has given me a great opportunity to revisit some of my favourite areas in the park to collect the initial photographs that I have used to construct these images.I have focussed on the fantastic array of trees that can be found within the environment of this park as my main subject. In Wollaton Park or for that matter in any natural landscape I find myself drawn to the creative opportunities, shapes, textures and colours that different types of trees offer.
Over the last 12 months I have collected many hundreds of photographs that have formed the basis for the finished images in this collection. The different seasons and weather conditions have all contributed to creating the final look and feel of the photographs.
These images are a representation of my memories of the Park. Memories are not always totally clear, sometimes they are idealised, and the detail is missing or simply forgotten.
