Jonathan Little

The Yorkshire Dales has been both home and inspiration for many years, fuelling my creativity with its ever-changing beauty. Having grown up in rural Buckinghamshire, I developed a lifelong love of the outdoors, but it was my move to the Dales early in my career that gave me the landscape that continues to inspire and energise me every day.

Although my childhood dream was always to be an artist, on leaving school I followed my head and family tradition into mechanical engineering with the majority of my career in aerospace engineering. However I never let go of my artistic ambition, and taking early retirement gave me the freedom to follow my heart and dedicate myself fully to art.

I work across mixed media, often with pencil and charcoal, but my passion is working with oils. My practice is rooted in close observation of the landscape — the fleeting shifts of light, cloud, and season that transform the familiar into something extraordinary. Each canvas is an attempt to capture those transient moments of beauty that are gone almost as soon as they appear. Portraiture and life drawing have also been vital in refining my eye, strengthening my ability to translate subtle observations into expressive works.

Recent exhibitions include a solo show at The Folly, Settle; the Emerging Artists Exhibition at Skipton Town Hall; exhibitions at The Look Gallery, Helmsley; the Spring Exhibition 2024 at Craven Arts House; and the Gargrave Art Exhibition

My work continues to develop through close observation, regular drawing and painting, and time spent in the landscape around me. Whether working in oils, charcoal or graphite, I am interested in capturing something of the character of a place or person - not simply how it looks, but the light, atmosphere and sense of presence that first drew me to it.