A series of oil paintings highlighting the disturbing issue of global climate change and the subsequent rising sea levels. Extreme weather involving heatwaves, flooding, droughts and wild fires have recently been referred to as climate chaos.

In August 2022, over fifty percent of the UK had hosepipe bans in place whilst the country received a Weather Warning of flash flooding involving mass road closures and thousands of homes loosing power to their electricity. With tongue firmly inside her cheek, Met Office Meteorologist Claire Nasir described the excessive torrential downpour as: "the wrong kind of rain".

Distance Between Land and Sea

Lost at Sea I & II

The first painting incorporates a rather simplified relationship between colour and form to convey a sailing boat in difficulty with the skipper apparently struggling to remain afloat. The vessel looks unbalanced leaning acutely to one side, conveying an unnerving sense of danger. The vibrant orange horizon is symbolic of rising temperatures and subsequent catastrophic heatwaves.

The second painting reveals the boat has eventually made it back to shore, however the condition and circumstances remain somewhat ambivalent, particularly as there are no survivors visible in the scene.

The initial inspiration derived from a family day out on the south coast of Spain, where I came across a similar semi sunken boat in an estuary. She looked neglected & forgotten, and I couldn't help wondering . . . If only she could talk, oh what a tale she would tell.

Winter Heatwave

The motivation was to raise issues of global warming and the subsequent rising sea levels which are starting to take affect in the form of ever increasing floods within villages, towns and cities in every continent around the world, resulting in the mass destruction of crops, increased homelessness, poverty, disease and climate induced deaths. The composition evokes an intense heat, the reflection of tree branches smoulder within a desolate, uninhabitable surrounding.

Winter Heatwave makes the unbearable truth appear beautiful.

Whirlwind Romance

Conveying the catastrophic effect of global warming within a somewhat satirical context. I've heard many people proclaim, in a rather self satisfied manner, how they enjoy the ever increasingly hot summers, apparently completely oblivious to the ever increasing carbon emissions. Such irreversible and devastating consequences will end a short-lived burning-hot honeymoon.

Wish You Were Here

The fish is alive only because he is a fish out of water. My aim was to make the clouds and surrounding area appear cold and uninhabitable in order to convey the magnitude of a pending environmental disaster involving oil, chemical waste, sewage, plastic, cans, old nets and many other discarded materials that are destroying our natural and beautiful oceans, enriched by a wonderful and vast array of wildlife, however many species are already becoming extinct and many more will follow unless our habits change dramatically.

Stop Whaling

There are Surreal elements to the painting Stop Whaling, however the narrative is profoundly contemporary and the message is within the title. It is important to respect and protect nature and the beautiful creatures that inhabit the world.

To their own detriment humans destroy their surrounding environment for short term economic gain. I believe it is barbaric and morally unacceptable for humans to kill species and inhabit their natural territory.

The disproportionately large hand can be perceived as either saving or destroying the whale, the outcome is for you to decide.

The Blues

We're all going to be feeling the blues when our pianos are swept away by the incoming rising seas. The Blues is a shoreline scene with a quirky edge to it. The narrative incorporates an abandoned piano drifting from the shore.

The painting was developed from an old uncompleted illustration project. And became an opportunity to indulge in a variety of blue pigment oils during its creation, which I enjoyed immensely.

Rock Guitar

Developed from a sculpture I'd made with clay, which unfortunately decomposed having not been fired in a kiln. However, the clay's ageing process produced a somewhat interesting effect involving its natural transition.

My inspiration for the painting involved the innovative sculptor Dame Barbara Hepworth, a fine draughts-person with tremendous drawing skills that she utilised in plans to develop her, now globally recognised sculptures, incorporating a distinctive and unique organic style, which she developed from an in-depth understanding and intense passion for nature, which she often referred to as her main source of inspiration.

Mourning Spring

The composition incorporates an aquatic funeral with a visiting 'hearse' boat and sunken 'deceased' boat. I attempted to incorporate an alternative view of springtime - a post apocalyptic spring. The title is a play on words, suggesting our seasons may become somewhat melancholic.

Twisted Nature

Global climate change has caused ever increasingly severe weather patterns. Droughts, flooding and wild fires are now common occurrences in our daily news headlines. The ever increasing carbon emissions are contributing to irreversibly warming the planet with devastating consequences on the environment, threatening wildlife, crops, the food chain, and ultimately our existence.