Bonfire Painting

My interest in the visual arts began with photography when I was at school and I have been painting for forty years. At age sixteen, I saw a Post Impressionism show in London and was hooked. Modernism increasingly influenced me, but I love art from all eras. Some of my favourite painters include: Botticelli, Rembrandt, Turner, Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Klee, Pollock and Noland. I began painting full-time about ten years ago. At this time, I was trying to move away from Abstract Expressionism and Colour Field influences as to create something more original; a unique expression that I could call my own. Taking a closer look at what is happening now, led me to be more experimental with both materials and methods. I visited studios of contemporary artists such as Marjorie Minkin and Graham Peacock. Also exhibiting at art fairs has been beneficial, not just for sales, but they are a good environment for seeing fresh work and sharing ideas with other artists. After years of development, my style of paint pouring has reached a stage of originality and a high level of proficiency. Although unfashionable, a demanding aesthetic is considered important. Within a contemporary and abstract vision, these spontaneous works, deliver an array of themes. The improvised element gives access to the subconscious mind. This releases all manner of subjects. Although mostly inspired by nature, these paintings also evoke memories, beliefs, emotions and much more. My outlook is positive. These pictures seek to characterise notions such as hope, joy, peace, beauty, love and faith. Many people that have either seen or bought my paintings say that they bring ever- growing pleasure and meaning. I have been involved in a several solo and group exhibitions. My paintings are held in private collections in England, Wales, Scotland, Italy, America and Canada. My work attracted the attention of the renowned American critic and curator, Dr K. Moffett, who in 2010 wrote: "In the last two years, the British painter, Zino Pece, has become one of the handful of painters who I think of as at the cutting edge of modern abstraction. Following in the footsteps of Jackson Pollock and Morris Louis, he orchestrates improvisational paint pouring on a large scale. Unlike his forebearers, he is able to exploit the unique properties of the new water based polymer paints to achieve the freedom and fluidity which he craves.