The Algarve
Daily life happening around me is a source of amusement, irritation, joy, amazement and inspiration. A world full of colour and movement, which I attempt to capture on canvas. I am inspired by nature and by the the human environment.
Cor do Povo
Local Colour
90cm x 75cm
Young lads chatting to the pretty girl behind the bar in the local café - their yellow trainers catch my eye, football is the obsession of the gentleman reading the paper.
Jeopardy
Acrylic on Canvas
100cm x 100cm
The stork has her eyes on catching supper for her chicks, her natural antennae will avoid the complicated rigging.
Refuge
Acrylic on Canvas
100cm x 100cm
Chimney tops of the many disused sardine canning factories are ideal for the stork to build a nest.
Driven to Abstraction
Acrylic on Canvas
80cm x 80cm
Colleagues challenge me to try abstract painting. I tried, really tried. Not my métier at all, an abstraction of reality is my limit.
Bridge Building 01
Acrylic on Canvas
80cm x 80cm
A stork inspects the new interruptions to her daily fishing expeditions in the harbour.
Bridge Building 02
Acrylic on Canvas
80cm x 80cm
A perilous employment requiring strong limbs and a head for heights.
Bridge Building 03
Acrylic on Canvas
80cm x 80cm
The daily drama of building a bridge whilst allowing traffic to cross the river with the law lending a hand.
Catch of the Day
Acrylic and Plastic on Canvas
190cm x 190cm
A collage of real plastic to highlight the fact that plastic consumption poses severe dangers to humans, with an estimated ingestion of over 100,000 microplastic particles per annum.
- Museu de Portimão Permanent Collection
A Walk on the Beach in June
Acrylic
100cm x 60cm
Giant pumps ran for months disgorging river sand on the narrow beach below our cliftop home. The beach rose high engulfing the stairs and the sea crept further away.
Fontes Mallard
Acrylic
70cm x 80cm
Wild duck enjoy the ponds in the estuary of the river Arade, and frequently alight in our pond nearby.
Last Rays of an Era
Acrylic Collage
90cm x 120cm
Praia do Alvor where dogs and children could play in the waves together. It was my favourite beach in those days.
Orange Seller
Acrylic on canvas
80cm x 80cm
He would sit under the olive tree with a big pile of oranges to sell. Bring your own basket to fill and carry them away. Times have changed and he now has a stall by the roadside.
Saudades - As Areas do Tempo
Mixed media on canvas
120cm x 190cm
Abandoned anchors on a beach in eastern Algarve remind me of the lengthy sea journeys to fish for cod in Baltic waters, and the loneliness of womenfolk left for months on end.
- Private collection Portugal