Painting nature with nature…

Spencer loves to work with natural materials. He has always drawn and painted, filling many a sketchbook with observations of nature.  A champion of ‘local’, environmentally friendly, organic and biodegradable materials, he uses clay dug from the earth with his bare hands, or soil and minerals from rocks as pigment. He also likes to work in graphite, charcoal, Chinese ink and watercolour. He is resourceful with materials, mixing raw medium with melted snow, peat bog or lake water and applying it with his hands, brushes, twigs, leaves, moss - or whatever he can find around him.  This helps him to connect to the land. He paints instinctively, capturing moments of light and shadow on mountains and lakes. Trees are a favourite subject, from tender studies of leaves, bark and seeds to monumental murals and canvases of mature trees that are steeped in gravitas and dignity. Recently, as he crosses continents, his art has become abstract and emotional as he witnesses a trail of devastation on the landscape caused by mankind. Sometimes Spencer paints spontaneously in wild places. Work created in his studio tends to be the culmination of thoughts and reflections. He enjoys the energy flowing through his body when he is painting, and the feeling of surrendering to nature.