"Mass Graves" Painting

I am an American painter and photographer living in Liverpool, England. I'm obsessed with walls, especially old British walls, and anything broken, chipped, rusted and cracked. Most people walk by a decrepit wall, for example, and fail to notice its beautiful textures and details. I, however, find old walls and their natural process of deterioration both fascinating and beautiful. Deteriorating walls are perhaps not so pleasing to the naked eye, but when one considers particular details or sections, one can appreciate the beauty of textures, colors and cracks. Many already feel drawn to these images via abstract photography, which is another passion of mine, so I wanted to take it a step further by recreating these hidden treasures through my paintings. By using mostly natural materials, including dirt, soot, sand, pumice and even rust, I try to emulate the natural process of a wall's deterioration. I believe that to find beauty in anything, one has to step back and observe all the pieces that make up a whole. And by looking a bit closer, one might just find something wonderful between the cracks.