Surface Crush

About

I have always been interested in worn surfaces where natural process takes over and create marks that can't be made by hand. Surfaces such as can be found in neglected areas of the urban and natural environment – old gates, doors, sheds, walls, in the abandoned detritus of the man-made, the myriad debris cast up on beaches – where the character of an object creates the sense of place – these elements have always held fascination. Rather than try to depict or replicate  these sources I use the structure of their making as inspiration. Pouring paint on, drawing, scraping away, rubbing down, adding and subtracting again until I make a surface and image that can hold its own and communicate its own language. A painting need be nothing more itself is what I strive towards creating. 

  I am, by circumstance as much as nature, a process painter. I often do not have a pre-conceived idea of how the work is going to look before I make it, although I often rework and explore ideas and motifs from previous work, allowing for continuity. In terms of motif there will be a presence of circles in the work, whether true, oval or misshapen. I have worked a lot with this form and find it intriguing to treat it in different ways to see where it can be taken. Another feature of the work is that I produce several pieces simultaneously so there may be a cohesion of colour, size and style between the two or three paintings at hand. This will be evident in this exhibition as there are several pieces that may seem connected more with each other than the whole. However, despite the disparate sizes and surfaces, I hope that the exhibition will give the viewer an idea of the delight I take in making the images and exploring the various ways in which marks can be made.