About

I long to be in the open.

And my work practice has adjusted to that need. Whether on the local hills, heathland, and moors of Ashdown Forest, or the coast I frequently visit, I love it all and feel more at home in the natural environment than in the confinement of walls. That is the reason my paintings are either plein air or at least based on previously painted plein air sketches.

When I paint plein air, I feel the energy of the natural world with all my senses. The wind on my face, the warmth or chill of the air, the sounds of buzzing insects or swaying grass; the constant movement and energy make me feel connected to nature at that very moment in time. I become one with nature, I feel welcomed and accepted. The energy that I receive transforms itself to energetic brushstrokes, painted with a sense of urgency or even impatience. Painting outside is almost like playing a game with nature – trying to catch that energy, to chase that wind, that movement, that constantly changing light and translate it into my own language of colour and marks. That feeling of urgency caused by the excitement of being among nature never fails to inspire me.

I studied fine art at Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium and at Metropolitan University in London, UK.