Verano

Verano is based on a photograph I took at the old Plaza de Toros in Ronda, Spain.

The painting deliberately reduces the architecture to its essential forms. Much of the surface is left as a broad field of muted blue-grey, allowing the small areas of colour and human presence to carry disproportionate weight. The scarlet door provides the strongest contrast, while the lantern and its shadow introduce a quieter sense of light and movement.

Rather than describing the Plaza de Toros in detail, I was interested in the atmosphere of a hot Spanish summer afternoon and in how little information a painting sometimes needs to establish a sense of place. The title Verano, meaning summer, reflects this sense of heat, stillness and light.

The painting continues my interest in architecture, reduction and the quiet presence of people within otherwise empty spaces.

Follow

I loved to draw and paint from a very early age. I was fascinated by the capability of artists to bring to life the world around them; to represent form, light and shade; to create three dimensions within two.

Simultaneously I was drawn to photography. From my earliest self-processed black and white prints to the sophistication of modern digital manipulation, I have always taken pictures.

In my professional life I established and ran successful creative businesses in London, Luxembourg, Malaga, Berlin and Sydney. I held senior roles in prominent design practices and advertising agencies, including the creative directorship of Europe's first online service.

More recently I taught design at universities and design schools in Sydney, Australia and Southern Spain with particular focus upon sustainable design thinking, human-centred design and developing successful design practice.

I began my career as a junior illustrator in London. It's therefore appropriate that with more time on my hands these days I should return to my first love.