Michael Stephens

Biography

When I retired from teaching fifteen years ago I was able to follow my passion for gardening, plants and the countryside. It was then that I began painting and, while I also enjoy landscapes, have developed my own style using long rectangular canvases which I feel are very suitable for paintings of plants. The paintings are impressionistic and loose as what we see of living plants is ever changing. The drama of light and shade is often as important as the details of flower and foliage and I like to convey the atmosphere of the season. Lively brush marks may be used to convey the energy of the growing plants.