My home and studio in the Otter Valley has been my central working space for many years. When I first arrived, whilst still lecturing, I worked along the banks of the River Otter, the estuary and the slopes of the valley. It seemed to me to be a lyrical landscape, with a Palmer like intensity. I painted the villages, stone walls, cloudy skies, wet roads and cows. With such rich material in such close proximity, I was able to observe the changing seasons and to produce paintings that reflected the mood and physical changes of the landscape.