What is quickly done is quickly seen and would not bear the test of careful examination.
Jacques-Louis David
1748 – 1825
LANDSCAPES
The genre of landscape painting in oil is what I became best known for over many decades.
It probably started when I was 16-18 and studying the History of Art (as well as practical Art) under the wonderful guidance of teacher and later art gallery owner, Eric Ford.
Eric opened up a world of amazing artists to me and I was constantly stimulated by the combination of figures in landscapes from the Dutch 17th century masters, through to 18th Century England via Gainsborough and then Constable, rivalled by the early Turners.
Once we got onto Impressionists like Corot, Manet and Monet I realised how diverse one's own style could be. However, my mindset is firmly on the representative form and, with my love of History too, I preferred to preserve the present as country scenes and often relive the past through imagined landscapes with old fashioned figures, horses, farm animals etc.
These kind of paintings proved very popular from the late 1970s through to the early 1990s when I gave myself a long break from exhibiting while the family grew up. When I resumed an active art life in the 2000s it was fun to experiment with greater variety, particularly in the shape and size of paintings, textured effects, a variety of grounds, and different tools like palette knives and sponges, while still keeping a representative style of painting. Such techniques gave me a good basis for the switch to professional artist in 2009 but recent years have seen landscapes take a less prominent role to the encouraging amount of Military and Hussarette commissions I have received.
Nevertheless, I'm lucky to live with one of the most beautiful parts of England - the Cotswold Hills and the Stroud Valleys, on my doorstep. So I can't resist returning to local landscapes from time to time, For many years I was fortunate to be able to show and sell paintings at The Butchers Arms, my local pub in Oakridge Lynch. Currently I have a small exhibition in the side entrance lobby of the Village Hall. They can be viewed at public events, or contact me for a personal viewing.
Both locals and visitors have been stimulated by my exhibits in the village to commission me for landscapes for "special occasions", or just themselves, and I'm happy to do this but please allow me plenty of notice to fit them in my painting schedule, because in the words of Jacques-Louis David "What is quickly done is quickly seen and would not bear the test of careful examination". My paintings are for life............
Oakridge Lynch
Nr Stroud
Gloucestershire
GL6 7NZ
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