After many so many years I feel that I have found what I was always meant to paint, the kind of land that I love and the skies that reflect the land.
I don't really know what else to say except it has been a revelation and totally liberating.
The hills in mid-winter can feel a bit monochrome. Occasionally we'll have the contrast of a blazing blue sky and a covering of brilliant white snow, yet often things feel a bit dreich at this time of year. However, I capture the fleeting moments of winter sunshine that, although weak, can illuminate the hills and reveal the secret gentleness of the season.
"I want to capture the moment of exhilaration, the moment when I see the light altering the appearance of the landscape. The moment can be over so quickly, and I want to hold it - nature at its best."
I was sketching to the west towards the Pentland Hills when this scene caught her eye. "There had been a thunderstorm the night before, and I turned to the Moorfoot Hills to see this glow through the heavy clouds. The field boundaries came and went-it was mesmerising.
"I paint with large brushes on heavy watercolour paper, starting with the sky and land, and finishing with the detail in the studio. The challenge is deciding how long to paint into the watercolour washes before they start to dry."
I studied furniture design at Edinburgh College of Art before changing to painting. I like to prepare sketches and paintings on site. My work has been described as 'atmospheric and evocative' often showing the effect of light on water and land and I am also interested in new buildings next to old.
I show with the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour and the Paisley Art Institute. My work has been accepted by the Royal institute of Painters in Watercolour, Aberdeen Artists Society and the Discerning Eye, London.
I have paintings in the collections of a number of politicians including Clare Short and Jack McConnell and have been commissioned by councils and many firms and individuals in Britain and abroad. I was pleased to be a featured artist in The Great Outdoors magazine and have been featured in the Home Style Hub within the Great Scottish Indoors on Facebook.
r.PNG?etag=%2259e8d-5fda3469%22&sourceContentType=image%2Fpng&ignoreAspectRatio&resize=427%2B602&extract=0%2B0%2B395%2B602 "sheena phillips")
