SA0086 Painting

This comes from a series of watercolours that form part of a larger project I’m conducting in the Sierras of Andalucia, with various creative and anthropological outputs, entitled: 'La Gente de las Setas'. The mushrooms in this series are not based on specific species, they are not representative but rely on generic mushroom shapes to offer a sense of realism; however, what's more important to me are the processes going on inside, the play and the relationships being created from an association with consciousness. Just what consciousness is, and how we are connected to it, how we experience and filter it is central to the project and a key part of my anthropological work. In these paintings I'm experimenting with granulation and iridescence to offer what I feel is an essential mix of realism and fantasy, fitting in with notions of how we place ourselves within consciousness and how we make sense of the world; how we embrace it and how we escape it. The real thrill for me in working with watercolour in this way is that it is a collaboration between me and the medium; no two images are or could be the same; the materials make many of the decisions in this creative process.