I draw my inspiration from the landscape and my devotion to the natural world. 

My colourful, abstract, acrylic paintings explore my connection to nature; the sights and sounds which I experience when in the outdoors reveal hidden landscapes within.

Whilst out in the landscape I draw, paint and take photographs. I spend a lot of time walking and take a pocket sketchbook with me, along with some pens, pencils and a little water colour set.  Sometimes I take boards and acrylic paint with me and work outdoors on larger pieces.  When against the elements of wind, rain, sunlight or even the tide coming in, work tends to be more expressive and energetic as I work before my time runs out.  Back in my studio I take those memories and experiences and work intuitively to create abstract works with hints of those places visited and imagined. 

I have always been drawn to blues; their association with the sky and sea, as well as other vivid colours which complement and create energy and movement.  Cooler colours add elements of calm and peace to my paintings, coupled with the contrast of reds and oranges; these areas add something more unsettled and dynamic.  The colours, shapes and marks which I make, intuitively link to mood and memory.  Making abstract artwork means I am able to explore this even further, unconstrained by reality with my own symbolism at play.  My work evolves over time as I layer, scrape back, re-layer, splash and drip paints with connotations of the changing elements, seasons, and moods.

Abstract work connects with the viewer in interesting ways.  What a viewer sees in abstract artwork is often a mirror to how they are feeling, places they yearn to be, shapes which resonate or simply a colour which makes them happy.  When people viewing my work say that they see a forest, an animal or they see the rain, or they imagine a place they have been to, or a feeling they have had.  All these observations are fascinating to me and add to the experience I have already had in creating the artwork.

In an increasingly fragile and uncertain world, my peace in nature and devotion to the natural world are a constant, as is being able to create colourful, expressive artworks based on this constancy.

I studied Fine Art Painting & Printmaking and graduated from Bretton Hall College, University of Leeds in 1996.  I am a teacher of art and photography at Driffield Secondary School & Sixth form in East Yorkshire.  This year I also embarked on a Masters degree in Art Psychotherapy at Sheffield Hallam University.  I have always found a great power and solace in art, and as much as I have loved teaching art for the last 20 years, I am looking forward to using art in a different way, to help people overcome trauma and deal with life's difficulties through art.

All images are property of Rosie Bramley. Any use without permission is strictly forbidden.