North Norfolk painter Derek Inwood talks to Hatfield Hines’ Clare Hatfield about life, work and the art of simplicity.
CH: What is the trigger for you, which sparks off the idea for a picture?
DI: My work is about colour. It starts with a mood and that gives me a colour.
CH: Where do you prefer to work?
DI: I capture the mood on the spot by taking oil pastels with me, and then work up canvases in the studio. Sometimes I do local scenes straight into oil paints.
CH: How would you describe your style of working?
DI: I am a natural painter. I basically like looking at things – I am interested in the art of looking and seeing through the eyes.
CH: Which subjects most interest you? DI: There is nothing complicated about my work. I like to paint figure compostions on the beach, boats, groins, passing ships.
CH: What most excites you about the process of making a picture?
DI: I like to take a flat surface and then transform it into a painting just with colour. Just with colour you can create space and relationships between things in a scene. You can create people, sky and people doing things.
CH: How do you feel your work has changed over the years?
DI: My work has slowly evolved rather than really changed over the years – it has always been about colour.
For more information about Derek Inwood, and a catalogue of available works, access Derek's artist profile page at:http://www.hatfieldhines.com/artistProfiles/DerekInwood.htmlDerek Inwood runs from 1st to 29th November, 2008.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 11am-5pm; Thursdays: 11-2pm
Throughout the bank holiday period Hatfield Hines Gallery will be celebrating East Anglian coastlines, with works from 1900 to the present day.
