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| Portugal 9c |
Describing his creative development, John explains, ‘I value the
discipline and craft of landscape and portrait work - that’s how I began –
through direct observation and painting but it is through my abstracts that I
find my expressive soul.’
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| Portugal 2 |
In early 1993, John was commissioned, by Harrogate’s Gallery Emeritus, to
make a tour of Spain and Portugal and record the journey in drawings and
watercolours, for an exhibition on his return.
John’s wanderings lead him to the remote, mountainous Beja region of
southern Portugal.
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| Home for a year |
His mounting
fascination led him to accept an offer to rent a stone and mud house in this
unmapped, sparsely populated region, known locally as the Pampa. For a year, he experienced and painted life
from another age, where the inhabitants lived, using farming methods little changed from medieval times.
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| Portugal - Wheel |
When working in the field, it's direct observation time and Johnny records the realities around him in studies and watercolour.
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| Portugal 3 |
It is on his return that his observations and experiences inform the abstracts that will eventually emerge. 'Even though I'm something of a
nomad,’ he reflects, ‘I always return to Yorkshire - it’s only when I'm here
that I can reflect on my experiences there.'
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