Less is more....

I was talking recently about the difference between a photograph and a painting and thinking about why I paint the way I do.

There are so many amazing  photographers out there , they capture a moment in time, with all it's amazing detail. They can show us he unusual or the beautiful with a single shot , they create amazing images with their lens but paintings are different. I am no art expert so this is simply my opinion ,but a painting has a piece of the artist held within it.

My aim when I paint animals is to capture the thing which makes an animal itself. The essence of a hare, the wisdom of an elephant, the busyness of a bee. I think a good painting (for me) leaves something then to the viewer's imagination. I don't want to paint the whole story. Like a good book, part of the painting is finished by the viewer. If I paint every last whisker or crinkle then the mystery is lost.

I want to paint just enough ,but with an economy of style, so knowing what to leave out is as important as knowing what to put in.