Here is what Jo has to say about her work.
“My artwork usually comes from walking in the landscape. Getting out in the
fresh air, in the natural environment has always been really important to me.
Being there in all weathers; absorbing and responding to a sense of place,
is at the heart of everything I do.
Landscapes are full of layers; geological, and historical, industrial and personal.
I like the traces of what’s gone before and their complexity.
When I paint, I’m responding to all of this using a combination
of observation, imagination and memory.
I’m currently exploring margins in landscape; those areas where land, sea, and
sky shift and merge and change. The wild landscapes of North Yorkshire,
Cornwall, and Scotland are especially important and influential in my work…
...often places I’ve visited many times, and favourite walks
in different seasons, weather and light conditions.
I’m fascinated by mark-making and my process involves building multiple layers,
using a wide range of materials and techniques….I particularly like drawing back
through layers of paint; sometimes using an electric sander or glass paper,
bradawls, silicone wedges and etching needles.
Paintings usually start from studies, thumbnail drawings, colour swatches and
notes in my painting notebooks or sketchbooks. I take a lot of photographs, but in practise
only use them occasionally to jog a memory or to check tonal contrast.”