WILD, brooding and atmospheric.

Ben Snowden has captured the area in which he grew up in a series of striking paintings.

‘Voice on the hilltop’, ‘Two paths, one door’, ‘Low Light’, ‘Nowhere Land’, the stark images of bleak landscapes and dark skies stir the emotions.

Raised in and around Keighley, he has transplanted his vision of the hills and moors into his art. His ‘Oakworth’ series of paintings were based on drawings he produced more than a decade ago, of the fields, moors and woodland areas around Oakworth.

“I wanted to capture the energy and atmosphere of being in the landscape and how your presence affects that space,” he says. “It has taken me nearly ten years to finally so the drawings justice and turn them into paintings.”

“I’ve always been fascinated by the natural world. It’s amazing how the landscape is constantly changing and evolving through atmosphere, creation and destruction. It’s relentless, greatly inspiring and always beautiful.”

Ben’s richly coloured ‘Blake paintings’ were influenced by verses from ‘Songs of Innocence and of Experience’ by the artist and poet William Blake.

“I was 17 when I first read those poems and have been fascinated by his poetry and artwork ever since,” Ben says. “He is a man of great vision and artistry.”

Shades of blue, grey, rust and orange dominate the series, with splashes of red, gold and white. ‘Trench’, painted on cloth, reveals a blue-grey world slashed by a diagonal line.

“My painting is all about experimentation,” he explains. “When I’m painting I only use a few colours at a time - by using a limited palette I’m constantly pushing the materials as far as I can. Everything is possible. The most colourful paintings are the ones with the least amount of colour.”

Ben uses graphite, enamel, oils, household paints and other materials on surfaces including cloth, textiles, paper, card, board, wood and slate. “I use things that I find - I’ve always believed that you can create art from anything, be resourceful and use what you’ve got. That’s the challenge.”

His mixed media painting ‘Prison’d by Gold’ was painted on a base made of train tickets.

"My main focus is to create work that evokes the senses and ultimately communicates a positive and constructive view of the world."

Ben has always been drawn to painting and drawing. “I loved the fact that anything was possible with these mediums. You just have to work hard to find out what kind of artist you are and what you want to paint or draw. It’s about finding your expression and your subject then trying to create your own language.”

He studied art and design at Bradford College. “I loved that course it was brilliant,” he recalls. “I worked in a big attic space in the Old Building where I painted huge works on paper, using all types of materials and mediums.

“The teachers were great - they just left me to my own devices. I really enjoyed that year in art education. Then I tried to do a fine art degree at the University of Bradford, which I felt wasn’t right for me. I’m not really an academic person, I just wanted to paint and find my own way.”

He adds: “I trained myself to be an artist with belief and determination to get your work out there.”

Ben loves the work of artists including David Bomberg, Jean Miro, Peter Lanyon and Ben Nicholson. “I also like Frank Auerbach, Richard Diebenkorn, David Smith and Arshile Gorky, but my favourite artist is Jackson Pollock,” he says.

He does not do any preliminary drawings. “I just dive straight in and start painting with whatever materials I have to hand. I never know how the paintings are going to end up - creation is achieved through experimentation. That’s why I love painting: everything is a gamble, it’s exciting not knowing what is going to happen.

His passion for his art shines through. “I put every bit of my heart, mind and soul into my painting. It can be beautiful, it can be ugly, but that’s the best part, it’s an honest expression of yourself. Every painting I work on gives me great satisfaction because I’m always searching for something.”

"My work explores the relationships and ideas between subject and emotion, combining visceral energy with experience through painting. Inspired by the human form, poetry and the natural world, I use the language of abstraction to create work that emphasises on mood and expression to determine the overall feeling of the paintings."

His family is very supportive of his career as an artist. “We live in a very creative house,” he says. “I work in the basement studio: I’m constantly working on new batches of paintings - figurative, abstract and landscape.”

Ben’s work has earned him various accolades including finalist at the National Open Art Competition Platform Open Arts Competition and Black Swan Arts Open. He has been shortlisted for the RA Summer Exhibition and the Visual Art Open, and longlisted for this year’s Secret Art Prize.

He has exhibited in London and Yorkshire alongside artists including Frank Auerbach, Andrew ‘Mackie’ McIntosh, Sir Terry Frost (RA), Zoran Music, Sandra Blow (RA) and Andrew Salgado.

There is one painting he would never part with. ‘Life spent in the shade’. This painting made it to the final exhibition in the National Open Art Competition 2015 at the Royal College of Art in London. I was one out of 11 artists from the north of England to be chosen. It was a fantastic moment in my life, I was really proud of the painting.”

This year his work can be seen at KH Summer Show at the Kunsthuis Gallery, Dutch House, Crayke, North Yorkshire, until August 20 and from October 5 to 8 at Ilkley Manor House as part of Ilkley Art Trail.

*bensnowdenartist.com; ilkleyarttrail.co.uk