Chris Aggs RBA

I prefer to work from direct observation and paintings nearly always begin with a series of drawings as a means of getting acquainted with the subject rather than as a means of fixing its contours. I usually work in oil paint on board (sometimes canvas). Frequently the work will be carried out pleine aire although I do make on the spot sketches if the weather is variable or time presses. I prefer to complete larger more considered works on site rather than in the studio. This always means changing and re-working the painting to fit current conditions and often means repeated visits over many months, sometimes even returning to the same spot at the same season over several years. Like most figurative artists (for the past 150 years) I am affected by photography and do use photographic references when I cannot rely on my own observation; for instance when things are happening too fast to draw! However it is important to me to re-invent the photographic image through the medium of oil paint rather than try to make a copy.