Herefordshire Landscape Exhibition 3-28 April

RACHEL SUDWORTH Artist Statement

I am inspired by quiet still places, mist and layers, and subtle colours found in wild environments. I love empty Scottish beaches, woods and forests, the vast expanses of Iceland, British mountains, and northern light. Paintings are rarely specific locations, I want to evoke atmosphere and memories of places. I use sketchbooks, photographs and studies made in the landscape back in the studio, where they are distilled and explored as a group into larger pieces.

Working mostly with oil on canvas or watercolour on paper, I try to use the natural qualities of the paint in an unconstrained and expressive way. The balance between control and un-control is manipulated, often allowing for paint to run, pool and soften. Once I begin, the process is almost as important as the initial inspiration. I build up many layers to create depth and interesting marks. It becomes about creating an impression or memory of landscape, making a painting I feel has atmosphere, balance, and quietness, something that draws a viewer in, and invites their involvement.