Distant lights Print

When I look at the history of art I see a tapestry woven with human life - its conflicts, wonder, boredom, moments of silence, thoughts... corners from the minds of the artists who created the artworks. I am aware of this within my creative process, and I aim to translate everyday visual experiences into something which will present a story worth returning to many times. Part of my intention is to make unusual the usual; the everyday visual experiences which we all encounter and mostly dismiss as unimportant, not worth a second glance.The paintings are crafted from moments; those snippets of time and from which I can find a story in the background, such as a dripping bath tap and the light carried in the ripples, a fly on the wall, the fleeting expression on a face, a nameless place. For me, these happenings underpin our existence; big events, highs and lows, come and go but the insignificant and fleeting remain and repeat, like a constant hum in the background. The nature of each brushstroke, and the texture of the paint also play an important part in the translation of the seen, into a blurring between the representational and the semi abstract, the patterns which often escape our notice. I work every day searching for an alchemy between paint, subject and moment. When I studied at Chelsea School of Art I was making sculpture, but the intention behind the work was similar. Works from those times include a bicycle abandoned on its side with its back wheel perpetually turning, so the scene of an accident was kept alive for an infinite length of time, a remote controlled leg of lamb, a huge flying saucepan which had come to rest skewered by the sword of a swordfish held upright by a fisherman (both plaster casts). Although my life is a busy one with many commitments - I am also a classical pianist, (and I teach the piano), not being creative in some way every day has never been possible for me. I love every minute!