Golden Fish Hook Painting

Wardlow and Grace are established international painters; taking their inspiration from the natural world. Their latest collaborative project, 'Perceptions' seeks to explore how individuals can see the same subject and perceive it with contrasting view points. Grace Artist Statement Artist statement My work investigates the link between the natural world and the energy contained in all living things. I convey the energetic connection I feel with nature with the use of rich colour and mark making. The use of oil paint on canvas allows me to become emersed in the painting as it develops. For me the way the oils interact with each other and the canvas is a love affair that began in my early teens. I find being out in nature, taking photographs that may later find their way to canvas a place of restorative inspiration. During the connective process a concept will present itself in my mind’s eye this will then be mentally moulded into a finished painting after which a small preliminary sketch is often made before the layers build on canvas. The process of making my work creates a metaphor for the human life. The thrill and fear of the blank page and canvas representing the innocence of early childhood. The beginning of a painting where there is hope and enthusiasm of what is to develop, continuing to the middle where there is an inevitable struggle that is persevered through until the latter stage where a certain calm abounds and the piece is able to sit in its own power. I intend that my work transports the viewer to experience the sense of awe and healing that I find within nature, some of my more abstract pieces I hope can facilitate a shift to another level of consciousness where peace may be found.