Debbie Crooks
Art Forms
Painting
Biography
Capturing nature through landscape painting is the essence of my work.
I focus on colour, texture and mood to create a pictorial journey.
Using fragments of the land as my starting point,
The alchemy of the pigments evolve
To convey the wonder of the land and sea.
Gathering visual information is key part of my artistic practice. I store these jottings when I am out walking and cycling in the natural environment, especially in the Chilterns, looking for compositional imagery within the landscape around me.
Experimentation with materials foraged within the environment is a way that I develop my ideas.
Natural materials such as leaves, flowers, seed-heads are gathered throughout the year and using simple mono printing techniques I start to create ideas for my paintings. The foraged materials may not necessarily depict the actual object but they may convey a hedge or a horizon. Recycled materials are also another way to create a variety of surfaces which can be used to depict natural objects or elements within a landscape. The revealing of the experimentations can be a source of delight or frustration!
Explorations of visual language are key to my work. Using different colour combinations that enhance, emphasise or exaggerate a particular idea are experimented with. I am continually trying to explore how light and shadow draws your eye through the landscape and I am enjoying the process of trying to use these ideas in my sketches and paintings.
I also find inspiration through looking at other artists work such as the Environmental artist Kurt Jackson, the collaboration of illustrator Jackie Morris and writer Robert McFarlane. Ann Blockley, Joan Eardley, Samuel Palmer, are other catalysts for my work . Attending workshops and visiting galleries are another source of inspiration. The resurgence of landscape art has been a powerful force to connect with the other artists.
Contact
Email – debbiecrooks.dc@gmail.com
Get in touch
Art Weeks Venue
Artists at Swanbourne Village Hall
