'The way I approach oil painting is underpinned by my print-making background specifically screen printing where I thought in layers. One colour works over another and adjacent to each other. I am inspired by the medium of oil paint because of its ability to describe the nuances of light against dark, its timeless qualities and translucency. I enjoy the fact that oil paint still proves to be a versatile medium of choice. Painting embraces a length of time fixed in a moment. This is different from a photograph. Oil paint is particularly good in describing the layers of time, and is in fact created in layers over time. It has a luminescent glow, a depth to it, which you can't achieve with any other medium. It changes when the light is on it, as if it remains living and fluid, dependent upon how the light is shining.' ROBERT SAWTELL grew up in the Welsh Marches, amid the Shropshire hills, walking the hills nearly every weekend. By the age of five he had been to the top of every hill in Shropshire. This love of the countryside stayed with him and this is what flows out of his work. He gained a BA (Hons) Degree in Fine Art in 1986 at Newcastle upon Tyne. He worked as an Architectural illustrator for a number of notable Architectural firms for over fifteen years in London and the West coast of the United States in Los Angeles, San Diego and Seattle. He now lives in Cardiff, walking, painting and drawing the surrounding area and further afield to paint the sea and marine subjects.