Hilary Forbes

My artwork evolves from an experimental and spontaneous approach.

Underlying this is an energy which comes from connecting with the elements of the natural world – the freedom of space, colour, form and atmosphere that I see in the landscape around me.

I primarily choose watercolour as a medium because of its fluidity, translucency and diffusion of colour. This makes the physical process of painting a pleasure and it enables a fresh, expressive style which quickly captures the atmosphere of a landscape.

The horizontal, diffused stripe watercolours  are inspired by the work of Bridget Riley. The initial idea sprang from a painting competition in The Artist magazine, and these semi-abstract landscape and seascape paintings have proved to be popular.

My drawings are mainly in ink or graphite, and I occasionally use other media such as painting on ceramics or mono printing.

For many years my home was in the Cotswolds area, and my visual memories from the countryside informed my paintings. Now  there are references to a new landscape in my artwork, as I  have moved to the rural border countryside of North Herefordshire. 

I have a degree in History of Art and a background in art restoration and conservation. 

In more recent years I trained as an art therapist, working with children. This involved playing and having fun with art materials, and this experimentation can develop into interesting outcomes and stimulate further creativity. I found it had the effect of opening up my artwork leading to a freer and more expressive style.

I believe that I will never stop learning or growing as an artist, and that my work will continue to evolve.