If you look closely  at my paintings you are not just seeing layers of pigment, you are seeing a story of adaption, healing and an absolute physical connection to the canvas.

People often ask me about my technique and why I choose to apply paint directly with my hands rather than traditional brushes.

The truth is my method was born out of necessity.

Years ago – more that I would like to admit – I was a Myotherapist, specialising in Trigger Point Therapy. I used my hands, and thumbs especially to

hold trigger points deep within a muscle to release them. This constant use and pressure caused a small shard of bone from a previous thumb fracture – even more years beforehand – to sever my right thumbs tendons and ligaments.

I had a full thumb reconstruction and months of rehab, teaching my left hand to become my dominate hand – luckily I was a bit of a mollydooker anyway.

To this day, I still find it hard to hold a small brush or pen in my right hand for an extended time without painful cramping.

SO what do you do when you have all of these skills and can’t use them?

You pour them into “painting”, (and horses)

I discovered that I could treat the canvas much like a human body – literally kneading, pushing, stroking, sculpting – massaging the oil paint -gliding over the surface, the ‘skin” of the canvas.

Applying paint like this is direct – energetic and deeply connective.

It’s also easier to clean up – I wash my hands in baby oil.

I am essentially a lazy artist, in that I hate cleaning brushes. Yes, I do use brushes – big handled house brushes for quick oceans. I also use palette knives for thick impasto texture after the “first pass” of blending the oils together to create clouds.

It is amazing how one little shard of bone bought about finding the joy and freedom of expressing myself, in childlike abandon, standing back after the first instinctual tactile resolve, then finding, in delight, such delicate beauty and the story within the painting.

And maybe that’s a bit about all of us – finding our childlike wonder again – our joys – our passions – to find our story within.

Have you found yours?