While on residency at Montsalvat I used the local scapes as my inspiration for these works. As an alternative to working on paper and canvas I have been exploring working on wooden boards. I enjoy the robustness of the wood as this allows me to include biro and/or graphite drawing on the surface and it also allows layers to be worked back with sandpaper. The board itself can become part of the work as I treat some of the panels with many applications of linseed oil before applying oil paints so that the wood grain is apparent. I sometimes use the hues and patterns of the wood to guide new applications of medium while some of the paintings are created with a more traditional application of oil paints.