Lindsey Hambleton

I feel safest in the woods: not a passive calm, but an invigoration of the senses, an intensification of colours, sounds and textures and a desire to capture those things in paint.  

I enjoy compositions that draw me and the viewer deep into the painting and the intrigue of what lies beyond. Winding tracks through trees, the curve-away of a river or a glimpse through trunks are recurring motifs. Through experimentation with colour and form, I seek a heightened sense of perception, rooted in Romanticism and moving towards abstraction. 

My chosen landscapes vary from parkland to wildwood, places that I know intimately or where I form a strong connection. The woodland I have painted most often is a two minute walk from home. It's small and local but I can paint it as a vast forest to convey its importance to me. In autumn and winter it floods with reflections, hence my series Flooded Wood which has been ongoing since 2016. 

Increasingly I work in series, not always in a linear manner, but returning to places and themes and continuing with the benefit of new ideas and experiences. After the birth of my first son, I focussed on a single ancient route across my home county of Derbyshire (the Portway) which taught me to respond to place in dynamic ways.

 My connection to landscape developed even earlier in childhood than the ability to paint. I would collect seeds and stones and dream about the next trip to the woods. I remember the frustration at 4 years old when I couldn't convey in paint the magic of autumn trees reflected in a river pool. Now when I paint, it isn't about replication, it's about capturing an indescribable essence. I would describe my work as becoming more intuitive - it hasn't developed to become either more abstract or more detailed. I have learnt to allow myself to benefit from both in order to evoke my own emotions and a deep sense of place.