In-between Days VIII Painting

In-between Days VIII was started by building layers and then reworking it in such a way as to leave original areas of paint still present, working with old and new. This is a most interesting and rewarding process, that which had been covered could be suddenly brought back into play, covered and revealed, resulting in a complexity and richness which otherwise would not be there. The series is made with oils and acrylic paint; occasionally I finish an acrylic with oils, depending on the thickness of paint and other issues. The viscosity and transparency of paint plays into the process, digging into and scraping back, glazing and re-enlivening surfaces, all mean that unsought colours and structures arise. Thus the painted surface remains volatile, image and surface vying for our attention in a most interesting and dynamic way. This polarity is an essential element in the making and appreciation of the work. A friend once told me I make ’slow art’, I like this, she understood the need for time in ‘seeing’ into a painting. This for me is the “why” of painting; that a piece becomes more than the sum of its parts, in the act of seeing. It is as if a door opens for some while remaining firmly closed for others. An abstract image can shift in meaning from one day to the next, from one view to the next, from one viewer to the next. This is an oil on alu di-bond. It is framed in a bespoke plywood frame, finished in white. The framed size is 31 x 31 x 5.5 cm.