Marc Lawrence

Colour is my key to the door of an Aladdin's cave. When I treat colour effectively, it's like revealing a treasure trove of exciting and unexpected things in a secret place.

Each colour has its own character which with the right intervention can foster a unique connection with another. Relationships can vary where two colours have the ability to integrate or repel one another. My aim is to offer a combination that creates harmony, beauty and energy while avoiding impoverishment embodied by coarseness and negativity. My real satisfaction however, comes from my audience identifying these alliances within the whole or any part of the painting.

I begin a piece with little consideration towards the finished article. The physical landscape of the North Downs surrounding my studio is the only vehicle I use to influence these abstract works. The canvas will evolve as I layer on more colour while manipulating the transparency, viscosity and flow of brush marks. These elements I'll pursue until the canvas sings and the door to the cave is open. The result, after what is often a labour intensive process can look and feel as spontaneous as a chemical reaction.

Acrylics are a superb medium for attaining these goals. They are malleabl...