Gathering Collage

When I finished my 'Cereal Packets' series, I decided that if I wanted to continue working bigger then I need to go bolder with my mark-making. For the first time, I stepped away from the Posca marker-pens and instead used brushes and acrylic paint which enabled me to make much wider strokes. I think it helped my process too. As much as I love markers, they can be temperamental bumping over collage and coming to an abrupt halt when faced with a strip of masking tape. Because I was trying something new technically with the brushes, I deliberately aimed to keep things simple and forget about colour, just concentrate on the lines. But as usual, i couldn't resist adding a few fluoro pops here and there. I didn't really set out with a theme in mind but I do see plenty of social interactions happening in this picture. It could be a crowd at a football match, a protest march, a food market. Whatever it is, it makes me think of living in London. Densely populated, full of energy, not always comfortable but overall we rub along alright. This picture comes unframed and in 13 pieces that fit together like a jigsaw. I have to admit, I work like this for practical reasons. I don’t have a big studio at the moment so, if I work big, it helps if I can store it away, or even work on it, in smaller sections. It also makes it a lot easier, cheaper and safer to ship it to you.