The Acrobat
The Acrobat is an allegory about balance and the inner energy that can both create and destroy. A diecast toy acrobat hovers in the air above an unlit bonfire of matches. The bonfire is on the one hand literal, a dormant promise of fire and all the associated dangers, but it is also a metaphor of an 'inner bonfire' of inspiration and energy, waiting to ignite. Action is on pause and expectations abound. What will become of the acrobat, will he spark the flame, escape the fire, or rise up, phoenix-like from its ashes?
The Acrobat is an allegory about balance and the inner energy that can both create and destroy. A diecast toy acrobat hovers in the air above an unlit bonfire of matches. The bonfire is on the one hand literal, a dormant promise of fire and all the associated dangers, but it is also a metaphor of an 'inner bonfire' of inspiration and energy, waiting to ignite. Action is on pause and expectations abound. What will become of the acrobat, will he spark the flame, escape the fire, or rise up, phoenix-like from its ashes?
When painting this, so many associations passed through my mind, of the challenges i have faced and those I have watched others face. There is a therapy of sorts in the evolution of a painting where, focused on one thing for an extended period of time, one manages to exorcise all the thoughts of the moment, weaving them into the tapestry of the subject and releasing them in a way at once abstract but true.
The Acrobat, oil on canvas, 60 x 60cm
Bridging The Gap
Bridging the Gap is a painting about conflict and reconciliation, measuring out the space between with all it's ambiguity.
Bridging the Gap is a painting about conflict and reconciliation, measuring out the space between, with all it's ambiguity. The idea began as a 'shots at dawn' format, the dinky car racers stepping out their paces with a toy policeman acting as adjudicator to the proceedings. But as the composition developed I wanted to weave in the possibility of a more hopeful outcome. The word dice, upon which the policeman stands plays with our assumptions; are the characters making ‘up’ or breaking ‘up’ ‘with’ each other? The Tower Bridge stencil behind is likewise suspended between meanings, is it opening or closing? The policeman is caught in the middle, his head framed by the vice-like gap of the bridge which is either about to crush or release him.
Bridging The Gap, oil on canvas, 51x71cm (2016)
The Good Ship Union
The next piece in my spot light series is my etching The Good Ship Union created last year amidst the heady atmosphere of the Brexit Vote. I wanted to make an image which grappled with the maze of contradictory arguments this vote triggered and continues to provokes today.
The next piece in my spot light series is my etching The Good Ship Union created last year amidst the heady atmosphere of the Brexit Vote. I wanted to make an image which grappled with the maze of contradictory arguments this vote triggered and continues to provokes today.
The Good Ship Union uses the guise of a toy ship full of characters that pull and tug at different meanings. There is humpty dumpty sat atop the lighthouse mast, wedged between the nautical flags for ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Below him, two boxers wrestle things out whilst a camera man and a cowboy ‘play’ at confrontation. We have Pinocchio embracing a piggy, whose eye is anxiously cast forward. The figurehead of the ship is a donkey, a sailor dangles a carrot in front him in an attempt to encourage action. More nautical flags at the rear of the ship signal for assistance whilst warning to ‘keep clear....manoeuvring with difficulty.’ A little life boat pulls away at the bottom, carrying with it the ship’s anchor and waving another flag, which in turn flirts with a variety of associations, both nautical (representing the nautical sign for 'stop carrying out your intentions and wait for my signal') and national (the English flag). At the front, the Ship is being towed by a clown on a mechanical wind up snail. Meanings are in flux and the outcome, unknown.
The Good Ship Union, soft ground etching with aquatint, 53.4 x 43.2 cm, edition of 10
I Know Where I'm Going
To mark the launch of this new website I am going to do a series of spot light blogs about individual paintings and the stories behind them. I'll kick things off with I Know Where I'm Going, 60 x 60 cm, oil on canvas.
To mark the launch of this new website I am going to do a series of spot light blogs about individual paintings and the stories behind them. I'll kick things off with I Know Where I'm Going, 60 x 60 cm, oil on canvas.
This was a piece inspired by an analogy made by Grayson Perry in his Reith lectures (2013), where he likened the journey of young artists to choosing a bus route. No matter what the provocation or temptation to change, he emphasized the importance of sticking with it and staying your course. This is something that deeply resonated with me and all the challenges that I have faced on my path.
Here the Ballerina represents the artist. She is suspended in arabesque, at once supported by and tethered to a rooted ‘safety-grip’ tyred base of elephant and bus. She neither flies nor falls, but patiently holds her balance as she continues on her journey. Facing forward or back, in the right or wrong direction, she moves along, keeping her fingers crossed that the bus knows what it's doing!