Martin Coohill
I studied for my BA (Hons) degree in Natural History Illustration at Bournemouth & Poole College of Art & Design and Sunderland University where I developed an interest in wildlife and portrait painting. Whilst studying in Bournemouth I won the Student Showcase from Artist & Illustrators magazine.
Like many creative people the struggle to make ends meet meant that after graduating I had to swap the canvas for the computer. I have recently returned to my first passion of painting after a number of years working in architectural firms in Bristol.
I work primarily in oils and achieve a distinctive style by using a layered technique, deliberately pushing areas of the painting back and others forward to give the subject weight and a realistic impression of light. Although capturing a likeness is the basic requirement, the most interesting and difficult part is to make the painting work on a number of different levels, I hope to convey the character, spirit and presence of the subject.
It is essential for me to experience visual contact with my subject in its natural surroundings, to observe its behaviour and take many notes, photographs and sketch in the field. This reference is then taken back to the studio where I compose initial ideas in thumbnail form, I feel it’s important to see the simplified shapes at this small scale. I then work these ideas up into a small scale painting where I decide on my colour palette and finalise the composition before I begin work on the ‘main’ piece.
In May I will be going to the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa on a volunteer program with the charity 'African Impact'. The aim of the program is to create a complete photographic database of the regions wildlife, and to help raise awareness in the local community about the importance of conservation. This invaluable time spent in the field will inspire my work over the coming year.