WWRD? #3 Painting

I am a British abstract artist living and working in Hertfordshire, in the UK. I have always been fascinated with abstract art, I connect more with an abstract image than I might with a beautifully rendered landscape painting. I find that abstract art triggers many emotions from yearning to solace, from peace to confusion. Abstract art evokes memories. My medium of choice is oil paint, I love the rich pigments and texture. I rarely use a brush to apply paint, rather employing a combination of squeegees, palette knives and scrapers to add and subtract layers as the painting evolves. I paint many layers sometimes letting each one dry to create texture and depth, other times applying 'wet-on-wet' to allow the colours to blend in beautiful and unpredictable ways. My paintings are personal reflections and interpretations, they are always an emerging process, I like when I discover things by accident and I usually let this dictate the direction of the painting. I hope to create a visual and emotional experience for the viewer that elicits a meaningful and positive connection. The abstract paintings I create hold great meaning for me, yet it is impossible to convey exactly what that meaning is; hopefully the viewer can create their own meaningful connection. In the words of Gerhard Richter - “I paint to send messages - but that doesn’t mean I am capable of telling you what these messages are right now, and it probably will never be possible to translate them.”