Erin Ward English, b. 1966

‘I've been passionate in the mark-making expressed in these new pieces. Having spent time walking, hugging the cliffs and soaking in the atmosphere and the energy of this special place – Cornwall. Weather and light take centre stage but it's the energy of the sea and the weather which I most wanted to portray in these paintings.

‘A painting usually begins from a memory of the place or a moment. Sometimes just looking at the sky can trigger an idea or a feeling I want to record in paint. The work comes very much from within.

‘I don't usually work from sketches - just paint straight onto the canvas using my own photos for reference, working fast, using large brushes, rags and sometimes fingers to push the paint around until it forms a response that I'm after. The result is usually a painting full of complex layering, areas built up in impasto combined with thin, glazed areas. Texture and mark making are an important part of my work.’

Erin trained at Northumbria University, Newcastle, gaining a BA (Hons) Fine Art: Painting. She has exhibited successfully in the UK and abroad, with work being held in private collections in London, North Yorkshire and Cyprus. Erin is an art tutor at Ramsgill Studio, North Yorkshire, and at The Bowery Gallery, Leeds. She is a Committee Member of Leeds Fine Artists Group.