Old Bones Painting

I prefer painting objects that are discarded, worn out, and with little or no monetary value (I dislike consumerism and am uninterested in traditional ideas of ‘beauty’ or 'value'). My work is metaphysical in that it addresses the passing of time and inevitable decay, but not symbolic in the sense of particular objects signifying individual ideas. There’s an element of chance (for example, in the way that different fabrics make their own shapes) and I welcome this randomness. I taught art history for many years and my paintings engage with the ideas of past artists and movements. For example, early Modernists often celebrated the flatness of the painted surface in their compositions, and this concern is central to my work. However as Harold Cohen (a tutor at the Slade) once said, artists should aim to reach a place where there are no signposts – where the aesthetic frameworks and preferences of others are left behind, and you take overall responsibility for the decisions you make. For me, this is a guiding principle. I work in oil on cotton canvas, using white spirit to mix the paint (it does not discolour, and produces a fairly matt surface which I like). I’ve tried to develop a painting technique that’s direct but unassertive, as expressive gestures or stylish brushstrokes would ‘get in the way’. To affirm the canvas as a separate physical object, I usually attach dark wooden fillets to the edges. You can see more of my work on my website -