Editorial for Jacqueline’s show at The Russell Gallery
During my customary morning stroll across the park to my Cheltenham studio I was musing that most of my inspiration has stemmed from relatively few subjects fairly close to home; my garden, studio, Cheltenham and trips abroad. The uniting theme has always been the light, culminating in this current collection. The subject is incidental, what excites me is the play of light, be it strong sunlight, dappled or a soft warm lamplight. From my early days at the RA schools (1985-88) painting from life and using natural daylight, I found my footing and was encouraged by my tutors. I was fortunate to have amongst them Ken Howard, Fred Cuming and Anthony Eyton. Even then my inspiration for painting was about light and I was very much encouraged by Ken and Fred. They are sadly no longer with us but they continue through their legacy of fine paintings they leave behind. Ken introduced me to David Wolfers and Sarah Russell Walling , the team behind the New Grafton gallery in Barnes where I went on to have several shows. After David passed away I went on to show with Sarah and Charles Russell Walling who set up their beautiful gallery in Putney and have been showing with them ever since, this being my 7h solo exhibition with them. The paintings are all in oil, an immensely versatile medium of which I never seem to tire. I make very few preparatory drawings preferring to work directly on to the canvas/board and working out ideas as I go. The image may go through many alterations, but its all part of the process. This collection stems from a couple of years work and again is based around still lives, garden subjects studio interiors and a trip to Mexico.
