Painting

I paint whenever I can but now paint what I want to paint rather than what I think I should be painting. I am still endeavouring to find my style so am constantly experimenting with different colours, paints and different application techniques.

I can no longer go out and paint outside, something I miss terribly, so I now work in my studio and what forms on the canvas is a combination of my subconscious thoughts, feelings at the time I am painting and visual memories of places, people and experiences which take shape and form as I paint.

The works are in oil on canvas and board and are largely non-representational, influenced by the mainstream Scottish and English “abstract” tradition of the past few decades. Before his stroke, Andrew was a regular “Sunday painter”, making oil landscape sketches but his disability has made this irksome and almost impossible – dealing with an easel, oils and paints, and the British weather is difficult enough with two arms and two strong legs. Luckily, thanks to the kindness of a local friend, he was able to open a studio and start again in a new way.