In the dash to accident-prevention school Painting

Pictogram people stand guard at toilet doors, they glow comfortingly through the fog at pelican crossings, letting me know that I’m nearing the end of the street and warning me not to step out onto traffic. They are efficient, generally calm and unperturbed, concerned for my safety, and offering a note of calm in the townscape. Just once I have seen one raise their hand in a gesture of panic and an ‘o’ of alarm appear on the generally impassive physiognomy. “Don’t come down here without a hard hat!” What is it about them I love so much? Perhaps they represent to me a simple life with easy choices – cycle along here in this direction, walk here, don’t walk there. Walk now, stop walking. They are tidy and reliable and constant – or are they? As I walk along the pavement, I’m always cheered by the line of painted people on the pathway, showing us pedestrians where it’s safe to walk. They look purposeful, in a hurry, and happy just to be moving. This painting is about navigating our world on foot and on public transport. Doing that, I have amassed a collection of photos and sketches. I was inspired by the process of Franz Ackermann and his big, bright paintings featuring airlines and cityscapes. I related very strongly to them, having my own constant stream of moving impressions rapidly drawn from public transport or while walking. My manner of painting is less controlled and I have allowed the paint freedom to flow in line with my succession of impressions. I wanted to keep my painting in soft colours, because the island urban landscape, though by no means an idyll, on the whole, is a soft place to live. This is a very new painting. It may be finished and it may not, but it represents a continuing journey for me, always down a new pedestrian pavement, and who knows what’s around the corner. The painting is on a reclaimed deep-edged canvas and comes ready to hang with D-rings and cord.

Painting:Oil on Canvas

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:27.6 W x 27.6 H x 1.4 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.