Jo Sykes Art

Over the years of developing my artist skills through exploration of other artists work, using different media and learning about art theory I have arrived at a point where I understand my artistic voice and expression better.

My favourite painting medium to use is oil and cold wax medium – I just love the process I need to use with it and how it performs on the painting support be that paper or board. It allows me to build up the depth and softness that I want in my work.

I started off several years ago painting landscapes and quickly moved to semi-abstraction, focussing on my relation and reaction to a place or sense of place.

‘Just Seen’

As I moved to more abstract work my inspiration is still, to a greater extent, landscape, be that a physical place or the lived ‘landscape’ of the human condition, or even the ‘landscape’ of the human face or form.

‘Revealed’

Sometimes the work may depict a personal, experienced moment or memory. Often it presents ‘happenings’ I observe, listened in to, feel or am moved by – happenings occurring all around us as we live in the world, making sense of life, our selves, the ‘other’, the ‘us’; Happenings that tell a story.

‘The fool’

I use a cool, soft, limited palette with an emphasis on the use of tone to express mood and depth of feeling, understanding, and connection. The resulting images are left open to interpretation – what you think I might be trying to say, and you as the viewer who might see something of your own story reflected there.

‘The Travellers’