The Yorkshire coast has been pulling me back for as long as I can remember. It is where I spent much of my childhood, crouched over rock pools with a net and a bucket, turning over stones and discovering something new every time. That sense of curiosity has never left me, and it is still where my Yorkshire coast paintings begin.

Rock pools and childhood discoveries

Rock pools taught me to look closely. A pool that looks empty at first fills with life the longer you watch: tiny crabs, shells, ribbons of seaweed and flashes of colour under the water. I still paint with that same feeling, slowing down and noticing the small things in a big landscape.

A light like nowhere else

The light on the Yorkshire east coast is different. It is hazy and soft, yet at the same time crisp and clear, so that the horizon, the cliffs and the water all seem to glow without ever feeling harsh. For me it is one of the most beautiful coastlines there is, and capturing that light is the heart of what I do.

Variety, nature and abundance

The coast gives me endless variety: sweeping sandy bays, grassy clifftops, wild flowers along the path and dramatic headlands, often within a short distance of each other. There is an abundance of nature everywhere you look, and I build it into my paintings with layers of acrylic, texture and colour.

Stillness and nostalgia

Standing by the sea has a stillness to it that I find hard to match anywhere else. It is also deeply nostalgic. Most of us have a favourite beach, and the feeling of being there as a child is exactly what I try to put onto the canvas.

See the paintings

Browse my original artwork collection to see the coastal paintings available now, or commission a large scale painting of a place that matters to you. If an original has sold, it is often still available as a print.

I'm a Yorkshire artist based in a village near Boston Spa, between north Leeds and York, and I paint the coast I grew up loving.