Carnival Painting

This work was inspired by South American Carnival colours. It is a celebration of energy, vivacity and movement. The apparent randomness gives way to a sense of structure, drawing you into the painting. Colours are mixed physically: with blending caused by dragging the paint across the canvas. However colours also mix optically: the further one stands back, the more the colours merge to create impressions not seen close-up and vice versa. Towards the bottom of the painting, various reds mix with white to create a marbled effect, with wave-like movement. Left of centre, an almost vertical line of red and yellow mix to create a sense of fire, almost like volcanic lava. The structure and randomness of colour application are in stark contrast to the razor-sharp boundary between the painted canvas and its white unpainted border. This creates a certain tension and contradiction; the crescendo goes right up to the line. An extreme close-up view reveals multiple areas which could be miniature abstract paintings in their own right. Cubist shapes of white and yellow seem apparent towards the centre of the picture. Is that an elderly couple? Are those birds? Textures appear, with some so deep they are reminiscent of a Japanese raked pebble zen garden. Then, a pair of eyes, staring intently, a face and a head of hair coming through the picture. Normally people wear a carnival mask over their face but here, the carnival’s colours mask almost everything but the eyes. This creates a contradiction, a new reality. The colours are tumultuous and loud. The real mask is that chorus of colour. What’s hidden is the personality behind the eyes and any accompanying body language. Perhaps different people see and feel different things; different emotions. Ultimately, it’s all in the debate. But one thing is certain; this is not an: “I got in in thirty seconds” painting. Framed in an exceptional quality, gallery-standard floating frame.