Paula Hallam

I am a painter, I originally studied at Coventry School of Art. Paintings are begun with sketching, often outdoors with a mix of pencil, pastels, crayons and paint. From these starting points I will return to the studio to work on a more resolved images. This is where light, colour, memory and emotion will play a role in the work rather than me copying reality or the human activity in it. Using mainly acrylics, I construct complex layers of translucent paint to arrive at a desired destination. I like to use vigorous mark making with wide, flat brushes and scoring the canvas with pallet knives, this helps me to build a visual story in paint as I look to blend of a part of myself and a landscape which I feel are inescapably linked. I am also interested in the use of art as a vehicle for expressing emotions & how the line between the pictorial and abstract can be blurred, creating a new exciting world of colour that escapes from the weight of modernity, technology and the mundane. The visual language I use is deeply influenced by my youth in the open spaces of Lincolnshire, a love of dramatic landscapes and their sense of place. Travel is an essential part of my practice, so I can spend time in many of Britain’s remote destinations to paint & draw in the open air. Locations of special significance are Pembrokeshire, Malvern Hills, North Norfolk & Derbyshire. I have been an Artist in Residence at the Kunstlerhaus Schloss Balmoral, Germany & have several UK exhibitions, including at The Usher Gallery/The Collection in Lincoln. Some of my photography work has been in print & published online. I am currently working on a new body of work for future exhibition. Derby, East Midlands.