My name is Keith Tilley and I am
based in Caithness, in the North of Scotland. Wild
scenery is my passion and my inspiration as an artist,
and I try to convey some of that feeling in my paintings.
My parents ran a picture restoration studio, so I
grew up surrounded by art, as well as the smell of
paint and turpentine! I learned all about the materials
and techniques used in making oil paintings. Later
I developed an interest in watercolours and taught
myself how to use this difficult medium. It seems
to me to be ideal for producing fresh spontaneous
landscapes.
Painting is a continual learning process and I have
recently begun to explore the medium of acrylic. It
is a very different experience to using watercolours.
Whereas they are all about confident brush strokes
and careful planning, acrylics allow me to use thick,
juicy paint and to change my mind about things as
I work. I am also trying to do more work outdoors
in front of the subject. The process can be quite
challenging in the Scottish climate, but I feel that
the benefits outweigh the discomforts. The spontaneity
of working quickly, outdoors, is difficult to reproduce
in the controlled conditions of the studio.
When I am painting I aim to create an impression
of the subject with the minimum of brush strokes.
I take my inspiration from Nature and paint things
as I see them.
More examples of my work can be seen at www.keithtilley.co.uk
