Known for his rain-soaked oil paintings during a career than spanned over 30 years, Jeff combined a romantic 1950s feel with his signature rain motif. The anonymous kissing couple in his artworks represents a feeling of togetherness.
His inspirations included the 1995 Clint Eastwood film, The Bridges of Madison County, which features many rainy scenes. For Jeff, rain symbolised washing away history and starting afresh, marking the start of a new journey. His figures are deliberately unidentifiable so viewers can relate to them.
To create his pieces, Jeff took photographs for reference before sketching the characters in a book. He painted the scene without rain and then added the couple in, before painting on the rain with a dry DIY emulsion brush.Jeff said: “I’m never happier than when I’ve got a paintbrush in my hand. Over the years, I have started to choose more intense colours to create a focal point – a refuge if you will – from the rain.”