Artist statement by Jo Sykes

"I started off painting ;landscapes and quickly moved to semi-abstraction, focussing on my relation and reaction to a place or sense of place.

As I moved to more abstract work my inspiration is still, to a greater extent, landscape, be that a physical place or the lived 'landscape' of the human condition, or even the 'landscape' human face or form Sometimes the work may depict a personal, experienced moment or memory. Often it presents 'happenings' I observe, listened in to , feel or am moved by - happenings occurring all around us as we live in the world, making sense of life, our selves, the 'other', the 'us'; Happenings that tell a story.

I use a cool, soft, limited palette with an emphasis on the use of tone to express mood and depth of feeling, understanding, and connection. The resulting images are left open to interpretation - what you think I might be trying to say, and you as the viewer who might see something of your own story reflected there."

See more of Jo's paintings and information about her painting process on her website at www.josykesart.com

Follow her on instagram at jo_sykes_artist