Thank you for visiting my gallery- I hope you enjoy looking at my work. Most of my work illustrates my passion for Italy, but over the last year I have also produced work inspired by organic forms in the shape of fossils and pebbles. More paintings can be viewed on my website www.josheppard.co.uk, and prices range from £20 to £600.
If I had to describe my art I would say... neither an abstract or traditional artist, my work is perhaps best described as 'non-figurative'. I focus on mood and ambiance rather than literal subject matter.
The majority of my oil paintings are created on canvas using a multitude of colour washes, poured paint and splashes, overlain with areas of thick impasto. Many works incorporate other materials, including sand, wax and fabric. A common compositional technique includes the juxtaposition of large, loose areas with tighter, realistic features and embellishment. Paintings vary in size up to 10 x 7 feet, with most being around A1 in size.
I work in a variety of other mediums too, including charcoal, chalks, collage and printmaking. Photography remains an important medium, both creatively and as a means of collecting visual reference material. In terms of influential artists, I enjoy studying Anselm Keifer and Antoni Tapies for their textural qualities, and Mark Rothko for his use of colour. On a wider level I appreciate a great many artists, with styles ranging from Turner and Giorgio de Chirico to Jim Dine.
