My watercolour paintings range from small 'plein air' works painted outdoors on location, to large-scale studio paintings, based on outdoor studies and sketches, photographs and other reference material. As a figurative painter I am captivated by the liquid beauty of the watercolour medium, its versatility, and the ability to say more with less. For all of my work, I use high-quality, permanent paints and acid-free, mould-made papers, or present-day versions of traditional handmade papers. I enjoy researching the methods and techniques of the great masters of 19th and 20th century British and American watercolour, and have always admired, and continue to be inspired by, the paintings of Cotman, Turner, Sargent and HB Brabazon in particular. For me, watercolour is an exciting, expressive and challenging medium, and I strive to maintain in my own work that sense of immediacy and directness which is the essence of the traditional art of watercolour painting.