When Painting doesn’t come so easily, and you feel that you’ve really hit a block with it, something that always frees me up again is changing my colour palette.  With  less than a month  to my first Postgraduate Exhibition at Aberystwyth School of Art, this is exactly what I had to do.  I introduced a darker colour palette, and eliminated most blues, purples and greens that I usually rely heavily on.

This is my take on some snowy hills that I have witnessed while travelling in a bus from Wales.  They fly by in a short, transient moment and appear insignificant.  Truth is, it’s these small moments that have a way of unravelling from my sub-conscious and find themselves compositions or themes of my paintings.  It’s not until I’ve almost finished works, or see a photograph, or have a distinct memory that I recall where I’ve seen it.  To me, that’s amazing.  One small snapshot you took with your eyes, reveals itself in such a powerful way years later.

The power of observation has never been so tangible.

I feel so blessed that us artists can work in this way, it’s a great and underestimated gift.

Rachel