It All Happened In An Instant (I) Painting

'It All Happened In An Instant (I) - Triptych' was, in part, inspired by the city of Tokyo, the Japanese Art of calligraphy - shodō (書道) and also by the new environment that I now find myself living in (Bavaria) This piece (& my recent work) is interested in exploring the emotional response of moving from one culture to another and continues to pursue my fascination with the relationship between symbols (for example language) and the possibility of meaning that they contain. How one series of lines can be immediately recognized as holding meaning to someone while to another they are (at that moment) meaningless. This recognition of the power of symbols shapes our perceptions of the world and consequently directly affect how (and why) we act. Moreover, these systems of symbols which we have created and use to communicate have a fragile and ephemeral nature. Words lose their 'original' meaning and change. Languages are lost, discovered and created. Symbols which were once taboo and progressive become pedestrian and mundane. These tools (symbols) which we use are pathways to understanding our past, present and where we want to be as individuals and as societies in the future. This transience is acknowledged through my working process. I am more interested in the actual process as opposed to the completion. I work and re-work my paintings adding, removing layers until a form appears which I then develop upon. --