“I combine my love of photography with my painting, deciding on a subject for the next body of work, then planning a trip to go and get the photographs I need. Usually, this means traveling around South Africa on a motorcycle or my really old Nissan Xtrail. I am always looking to create a certain atmosphere in my paintings, and this is inevitably created using early morning or evening light. I am fascinated by the diversity of oil paint and what one can do with it, so I decide on a subject matter which allows me to explore my medium in a certain way. Previously I worked very realistically, painting each and every part as I saw it, spending many many hours on a painting. Now I work in a more impressionistic way, using mark-making brushwork and occasionally palette knife, working in layers, which allows me to explore the more abstract aspects of painting and yet still creating something that looks realistic from afar. I work with a limited palette and I prefer larger canvases as this gives me the freedom of movement to explore my subject matter fully.” – explains Sharon Kuisis