Le Pont Joubu, Chartres

[Mike A]

Another of my favourite places in France. The Pont Joubu crosses the river Eure and becomes the Rue du Bourg, which winds its way up narrow, steep streets to the cathedral. Created with the ink, watercolour, pastel and airbrush tools.

[D Akey]

One of the things I'm noticing about your work is that you have light as a featured element. The towns are bright and sunny and very inviting. Your affection for your subjects comes through loud and clear.

[Mike A]

Very true - I love the interplay of light and shadow, which bring out the form and structure of a building. They form patterns and echoes across a picture. I like to leave whole areas of a single colour and then contrast these patches with smaller areas of intense detail - all of which (I hope...) invites the viewer into the picture. I work mainly from my own photos these days but, while photos can help to bring out structure and proportions, I never use the colours in the photo - to do so would just end up creating an unharmonious jumble. I always try and create a colour palette expressly for the painting - one which lightens the heart.

The act of painting, for me, is to re-live my own experience of being there, and I'm lost in the place being painted when I'm doing it. Finishing a painting is actually quite sad - satisfying, but also knowing that the "being there" is finished!