Artist statement: I work as a contemporary realist using simplified imagery, painting with oils on canvas. I work with thin layers of paint building it up slowly to create glazes of luminosity and moods of serenity, which reveal the transition between the visual, the spiritual and a feeling of peace. My colours are rich, but quiet. Inspired by the landscape, I first go out to photograph. I lose all track of time. When I see places that excite me my heart beats so fast I almost lose my breath; it’s that spiritual tranquility you feel when you are there. It nourishes your soul. Then, I come back to my studio to paint, and again I lose all track of time and place. I’m back in the moment with the wind blowing through my hair, and the exquisite beauty and sounds of nature running through my mind. I find it an enormous responsibility to paint a field, a stream, a place in nature, and do it justice. How can you paint something that takes your breath away? How is it possible to recreate the moment?