Tenacity Painting

Life Maps The analogy I like to use when discussing my painting process is that of formulating a map, a life map. My work represents an endless development of growth, change, balance and emotions that are integral to my personality and my being. It is important that I build routes within my life. These life paths begin simply enough in a location, such as a house, a town, a city, or maybe just a piece of land. As my sphere of life experiences grows I learn to become attuned to my surroundings and the people I encounter. I believe there is always a relationship between people and their personal environments. I think this harmony is realized via the routes and decisions that have been made throughout their lives and my painting process mimics this. I start from a blank canvas with no preconceived specific image in mind. I develop the image slowly by making small conscious decisions and then by also allowing my work to act on my intuition as much as I allow my intuition to act on my work a freedom of action is arrived at. In an endless pursuit of colour and geometrical strokes I search through unknown possibilities, finding my way, mapping a path to a final destination. The play of colour, texture and geometrical forms combine and work together to create a mapped environment, and the shades and metallic inlays represent an esoteric human, biological presence in my work. With the colour and texture I reflect the mood of everyday life and how it varies, from white to black and the greys in the middle, giving the possibility to create layers of all kinds. I am aware that we all leave marks behind as traverse the paths of life, and map out our place in the universe. The footprints we leave behind are unique to us. In my work I represent this endless path of growth, change, balance, and emotions that follow us, the fear of having or not having routes, the voice or the silence. The components are the same but each life map that we choose is unique in its own way. No matter which way one choses to do it, this process never stops, it is constantly evolving, and in the end becomes an important part of ones being. It is the trace that one leaves behind.