Born on the edge of Otmoor, William North says the landscape in this area, with its changing moods, has always acted as his inspiration. He is a self-taught artist who once farmed the land he now paints with such affection. He uses subtle watercolours and acrylics to capture Otmoor in all its guises.

He was in his early twenties when he came across an artist sitting at an easel, painting. The artist made it look quite easy. William says he became fascinated and on reaching home he looked out some old paints left over from his schooldays and began painting too.

“I was hooked immediately and soon spent every moment painting. I found I possessed a latent flair for art, and from then on painting took over my life,” he said.

He says that the bare trees of winter that stand in stark relief to the winter skies excite him, so do the dried grasses of winter and the atmospheric reflections that dance on the flood waters.

William’s pictures capture those huge skies casting their shadows on Otmoor’s damp ground. He also captures the swell of the streams and ditches that result when the land floods, as it does often.

The haunting cry of the curlew and the myriad butterflies and insects in the lush summer grasses all combine to provide him with inspiration, too. However, the birds he loves so much seldom figure large in his pictures – they are added when the picture needs a focal point to direct the eye to a particular part of the canvas.

Although Otmoor inspires most of his work, William does venture into city scapes and paints some the buildings and windmills he has encountered during his travels around Europe.

William regularly takes part in Artweeks. This year his exhibition will include views of Poland and other European countries as well as studies of Otmoor. He will be opening his studio (Site 432) at Oddington Crossing, Charlton-on-Otmoor from May 22-31.