The Other Side of Winter Original by Jo Starkey

Jo’s fresh and inspirational portrayals of meadow flowers and windblown grasses originate in her lifelong passion for nature and her experience of the Sussex landscape. Growing up in a rural environment gave her a great appreciation of the natural world and the countryside, which along with her love of art enthused her to become a floral and landscape artist.

Her father passed on his own artistic talent to Jo, but although she attended art college she is largely self-taught. She acquired and honed her skills as a mixed media artist by experimenting with different materials and harnessing new techniques which have evolved over the course of time.

Jo’s intention is to distill the essence of nature and its magic into her paintings, which she creates using mixed media on silk mounted on wood or paints directly onto the board itself She builds up layers using a range of different materials to create a three dimensional effect – a layering process which lends itself to the scenery that she paints, creating depth and texture which brings nature to life in each beautiful scene.

Jo likes to play with colour and this can dictate the composition of a painting. She spends all the time she can walking in the Sussex countryside and always has her camera to hand which allows her to capture a tableau as and when it happens. She says: “There are those moments where the sun creates a beautiful light glinting through wild grasses or meadows, or other times when it can be grey and mysterious, with light shining through the trees. I am drawn to colour and light, and I love the way nature is affected by the seasons and is constantly shifting and changing.”