CHRIS NEALE landscape artist
I moved with my family to Wales from Devon in 1966 and I have lived in Pembrokeshire since 1997. After attending school in Penarth I studied graphics in Bristol and returned to painting, a passion since I was very young, in 1997. I have always liked being in the landscape and spend most of my spare time exploring. I like to understand the geology that created the landforms but will often seek out the past influence of mankind on the land, a link with it for us all.
With a graphic eye I seek out compositions where the components ‘knit’ together to form a unified whole which captures the emotions I feel when I see an image that makes me want to paint it - it must have something out of the ordinary to it. Composition is a major part of the emotional connection for me, simplifying composition and colour increases the strength of the painting until it starts to convey the moment that sparked the creative journey. I am particularly fond of flowing curves, they seem to take the eye on a journey around the image much like following a windy road to an unknown destination. The faster they are drawn, the more exciting the journey.
I paint and draw in pastel and watercolour, I have tried many different media but these seem to suit me best. My images are sourced from sketches, my imagination and photography, but primarily from being there, often time and time again. With a love for reading maps, I often seek out locations far from the mainstream. Some locations in Wales have a magnetism that draws me back continually. Unable to put it into words, I express my emotion through images instead and hope to share it with others.
There is a Welsh word that expresses my subjects better than any English equivalent - hiraeth.