About
…from Long archived memories where detail fades but the sense remains beacon bright……
It has now been almost two decades since a very conscious decision was made to abandon all constraints of literal reference material in the production of my paintings. The abandonment of a well worn and reassuring process of working from life is replaced with a profound freedom, not only in terms of direct expression but also of something much more intangible.I often wonder about a definitive description of the intricasies of the process, the myriad fleeting options that present like rapid dust mites buffeted across a strip of sunlight or the simple wonder of seeing something quite suddenly with astounding newness, as if seeing through my childrens’ eyes.
Recent work has seen a transition from a long held fascination with mythology, particularly Norse mythology, towards abstract landscape. Some work inspired by deeply ingrained memory and some inspired by places not yet visited. Some work inspired purely by a place and time, some inspired by a person. Some by both.The principle of no visible reference matter for the work remains unchanged. The process albeit an evolved version remains true to the methods gleaned over many years.
Texture, all in the form of pure Titanium white oil paint is the first paint applied and untouched until bone dry. Non negotiable, this part is never sanded or scraped, simply added to. Fine washes of paint layered over each other are the elemental parts of a labour intensive, intuitive process. Put simply, each mark should lead immediately to the next. A fascination with light and it’s boundless effects is the anchor stone to what is never less than a deeply absorbing process.