Hinton Ampner, Hampshire

Acrylic on canvas.  50(h) x 50(w) cm

I visit many of the UK's country houses and gardens and I find that most have particular places that become special to me in some way. I'm not that drawn by the houses per sa. I find that what really intrigues me is the 'house in its setting'. A kind of massive still life.

In the passage through their garden spaces, one encounters the building from numerous angles and in a variety contexts, and one subconsciously collects experiences - smells, sounds, colours, surfaces, memories.

I'm creating a set of 12 simple square images of different garden places and representing them as a collage of my recollections of that place and the promenade to it. I think these paintings will be colourful and playful as a group. The idea of collecting recollections, like footprints in the mind is a vehicle that has much room for exploration.