In the Beginning Painting

In my work I am interested in ‘Who am I’ and ‘What is Real?' The person I was even a few years ago is in many ways unrecognisable, from the person I am today. I feel that if I peel back the layers of our perceived reality, I will find something underneath that is more solid and pervades everything. I am endeavouring to look below and behind me to see hidden secrets that may be lurking somewhere at the limit of my peripheral vision. I’m looking in the mirror, like Lewis Caroll’s Alice and in the shadows of the lake. I’m fascinated by how the pond shows us glimpses of what’s beneath its veneer, whilst also reflecting the branches and sky behind, all entangled in the surface detritus and pond plants. The three images collide together in one plane. A pane of glass in a window can also show several sides of what is happening at one time. I’m also intrigued by how the web like structure of branches interweave, like threads of a tapestry unraveling to expose something of the interface, between the inner and outer worlds. Layers, like those of the skin, are peeling back to reveal something but it is as elusive catching smoke.