Artists' Quarter

After a life spent in the catering trade, working in London, Europe and Africa as well as a considerable time in West Yorkshire, I retired to a cottage on the North Yorkshire coast near Robin Hoods Bay.

Detail from A Secret Place

Not being one to remain idle for long, I took an Art Foundation Course at Yorkshire Coast College in Scarborough and from there moved on to gain a B.A.(Hons) in fine art at the Scarborough campus of the University of Hull.

I exhibit in several galleries in North Yorkshire and my work has been shown in London, Leeds, York and Newcastle upon Tyne. I have had several solo exhibitions and carried out private commissions.

Recent work alludes to archaeological discoveries on the Yorkshire Moors following a major uncontrolled fire in 2003. Living close to the moor means that I have been able to walk the site as well as using aerial photographs provided by English Heritage to produce abstract oil and mixed media paintings.

Detail from A Golden Day

My intention has been to show the marks and monuments made by man within the landscape, while at the same time trying to show the influence of the elements on their erosion and disintegration.

My paintings are frequently abandoned and returned to at a later date. They can be totally obscured and then excavated using a succession of layers. Surface is very important. They are scraped, scratched and even burnt to suggest the fire itself and the patina of time.

New work has evolved to include semi- figurative and figurative paintings based on these traces and remains of past life.

I am also very interested in portraiture and am in the process of putting together a new collection.

Bren Head