Caroline Mackintosh

Artist Statement

I am drawn to the strong shapes, lines and patterns formed by the complex interplay of water and land in the landscape. My work attempts to portray the vast horizons of this landscape; I use diagonal lines and carefully positioned verticals to guide the viewer’s eye through the landscape and into the distance. A start my paintings with loose blocks of colour and strong free marks, working quickly from sketches and photographs, focussing on tonal value and contrast.

As a painting takes form I begin to define the shapes and lines I see in the landscape with masked off areas. I think of it as painting with masking tape, using the tape as a tool to sculpt the contours of the landscape, creating curves as well as straight lines and bands, organic alongside geometric shapes.

My paintings are built up in many layers and I like to scratch back to reveal some of those earlier layers.