Bio

watercolour self portrait of artist painting en plein aireWatercolour painting is my first love.  It has magical qualities if  one can keep the freshness going. There is always an element of chance and it is always thrilling if a painting “comes off”. I think that there is a translucence that can be found in watercolour painting which is often more difficult to find in other mediums.

I like to paint what I see before me and I do enjoy painting flowers, especially those picked from a garden.  However the challenge of setting up an easel outside is always an exciting prospect and it somehow shows in a painting when you have been out in the elements!

I exhibit regularly and have had a solo exhibition at The Burton Art Gallery, Bideford, UK and have exhibited work in galleries around Devon.  I also accept commissions on varying subjects and have paintings in private collections overseas.

I have been a great admirer of Edward Wesson’s work for as long as I can remember.  His ability to look at a scene and simplify it with so few brushstrokes still amazes me. His work is so fresh and free. He captured the magical quality of watercolour – luminosity, and yet made it look so deceptively simple. He was a very generous teacher and passed on his enthusiasm and love of pure watercolour to many students.

I would like to thank my brother, Jeremy Thornton for all his support and encouragement and for designing my web site. He is a very talented artist and designer and I hope you will take the opportunity to look at his web site, which is full of inspiration.