Chris Pollard
I live and work in Sheffield, close to the moors of the Peak District. My paintings seldom reflect the gentle undulations of Constable’s countryside with their palette of greens and browns, but my inspiration comes from the diverse changes in the weather, and its effect on the landscape. Picture postcard scenes become atmospheric compositions with a startling use of colour. I like the changing light on a stormy day, where shafts of sunlight pierce the mists and light up a small section of fell. My first introductions to the grand designs of the landscape didn’t come from Oxfordshire’s rolling pastures and meandering Thames of my youth, but trips ‘up-north’ to Lancashire. The promise of a sighting of Blackpool Tower from the top of Pendle Hill if I was a good boy.... a visit from one of Pendle’s notorious witches if I wasn’t... I can’t remember ever seeing the tower, but I did have one or two nightmares!!!!!. So the day trips from Burnley into the Dales and beyond have sown the seeds of affection I have for countryside. Living in Sheffield has introduced me to the drama of the Peak District. I've spent many days on the brooding moors around the Derwent watershed, and the edges that run down to Chatsworth. As I have mentioned earlier, my paintings try to capture the atmosphere of the landscape. There isn’t the detail you might find in a traditional watercolour, but more of an impression. I like bold use of colour. I enjoy breaking the rules of painting by using the ‘wrong’ colours, and sometimes the most interesting effects come along purely by accident, it’s controlling those accidents which is the tricky bit !
Bassenthwaite
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