Belinda is a music teacher and artist, from Galway on the West Coast of Ireland.

  “ My Art is inspired by the world around me.  An idea can be triggered by  a view, a poem, a story, a movie, a piece of music, a photograph, a colour, a scent, a comment, a feeling...

         I love painting outdoors, particularly on warm sunny days, but have even painted in sub zero temperatures in the dark as an experiment. It makes me free up completely, so I have drifted away from doing realist paintings, to a much more expressive painterly style. I try to capture the essence of an idea without painting in every detail.

          My preference of medium is oil paint. It is very forgiving, and I find it really lovely to work with. The colours stay rich and vibrant. I am influenced by a wide range of artists and my favourites change on a daily basis, from the Old Masters to my contemporaries to the beautiful innocence of a child's work. I love using the palette knife and large brushes, and find I have freed up completely since I started to do larger pieces. I often just start a painting with no idea where I am going, but a colour or shape can evoke an idea, and something unique evolves. I seem to work more quickly now, as its stops me fussing about the finer details.

       I have no master plan to change the world with my art, but if brings a little joy to a few I am content. I just love to paint. For me, it is more about the journey than the destination.”