I recently made two visits to Lapland in the Arctic Circle which inspired me to paint new work in a new way. These will be on show at the Great Atlantic Galleries in Falmouth, Cornwall, England, in October 2008. 

When the first frosts arrive in September, the northern "taiga" (or forests) turn into a glowing tapestry of colour - the season of Ruska. Walking in the forests bathed in the colour of Ruska is a unique experience. The glowing lights of amber, yellow, red and dark green are amplified by the colours underfoot... patches of purple and pink bilberries coating slate grey quartzite rocks, or the powdery yellow-greys of the lichen. This luminosity is both magical and seductively disorientating.