For many years, my creative practice has centred on digital photomontage, using my own photographs to build imagined seascapes and landscapes. Although that process remains at the heart of my work, I have always been curious about painting and how it might influence the way I see landscape.

Several years ago, I began exploring paint through a sketchbook project. Rather than replacing my digital practice, it became another way to investigate colour, texture and composition. You can read more about how I developed my wider creative practice on my About page.

Looking back, I realise this project wasn’t really about becoming a painter. Instead, it was about understanding landscape in a different way. It encouraged me to slow down, experiment and embrace uncertainty. As with my digital photomontage work, I rarely know exactly where a piece will end up. That openness has become an important part of my creative process.

Learning Through Limitations

One of the biggest breakthroughs came when I discovered artist Louise Fletcher’s online painting course. The exercises were simple but thoughtfully designed to remove the pressure of producing finished paintings.

The first challenge involved working with a very limited colour palette. Immediately, the process felt less overwhelming.

Using only three colours, together with black and white, taught me several valuable lessons. Firstly, a surprisingly wide range of colours could be mixed from very few pigments. Secondly, every colour naturally worked together because they all shared the same origins. Finally, having fewer materials helped me focus on making rather than worrying about endless choices.

Interestingly, I still use this principle throughout my creative practice today. Whether I’m working with paint or building digital photomontages, limitations often lead to more thoughtful and cohesive work.

Exploring Colour and Composition

Another exercise involved masking six small squares onto a sheet of paper before painting freely across the entire surface.

Rather than concentrating on individual paintings, I responded instinctively to colour, movement and the feeling of landscape. Afterwards, peeling away the masking tape revealed six completely different compositions.

That sense of surprise fascinated me.

Consequently, I repeated the exercise many times, gradually discovering colour combinations and abstract arrangements that felt both balanced and atmospheric. These small studies became a safe place to experiment without worrying about whether a painting was successful.

More importantly, they reminded me that some of the strongest ideas appear when expectations are lowered.

STRUCTURE OF LANDSCAPE

Understanding the Structure of Landscape

As the project developed, I realised I didn’t fully understand why certain landscapes felt convincing.

I knew that landscapes were layered, yet I wanted to understand how foreground, middle distance and background worked together visually. To explore this, I made quick thumbnail drawings from my own landscape photographs.

These simple sketches helped me notice relationships between shapes rather than individual details. Instead of copying what I could see, I began analysing how space was created through tone, proportion and rhythm.

Although this research began through painting, it has also influenced the way I construct my digital photomontage landscapes. I now think much more carefully about how the eye moves through an image and how different elements work together to create depth.

Discovering the Power of Mark Making

Further painting exercises encouraged me to work quickly using only a limited number of marks.

That restriction forced me to become more decisive. As a result, I began experimenting with scraping into wet paint, drawing with oil pastel before painting over the surface, and creating textures with pieces of cardboard.

Each method produced unexpected marks.

Rather than treating them as accidents, I started recording them in my sketchbook so I could return to them later. Over time, I also made a conscious effort to paint more freely. Consequently, the work developed greater movement and energy.

Although these marks rarely appear directly in my finished photomontages, they continue to influence the textures, layering and visual language that run throughout my work.

Developing Confidence Through Repetition

Eventually, painting became less about individual results and more about establishing a rhythm.

Working on several small studies at once removed much of the fear of making mistakes. At the same time, repeating similar colour palettes and processes gradually built confidence. I also do this when creating photomontage.

I also began photographing and printing each stage of a painting. Looking back through those images often revealed solutions that weren’t obvious while I was working.

Similarly, sketching over printed photographs allowed me to test ideas before committing to further changes. This combination of observation, experimentation and reflection mirrors the way I develop my digital photomontages today.

How Painting Influences My Digital Photomontage Practice

Although my finished artwork continues to be created through digital photomontage, this painting project has quietly shaped the way I approach landscape. Instead of concentrating on accurately representing a place, I now pay closer attention to atmosphere, balance, colour and structure. Likewise, I have become more confident in allowing intuition to guide the creative process.

Most importantly, I have learned that progress is rarely obvious while you are making the work. However, when ideas are recorded in sketchbooks and explored consistently, even small experiments begin to build into something much larger.

Ultimately, whether I am layering original photographs or exploring paint on paper, the goal remains the same: to create imagined landscapes that invite a moment of stillness, reflection and connection with the natural world.