Quest (2014, charcoal, pastel, chalk and masking tape on paper, 42cm x 59cm)Shortlisted for the 2014 Jerwood Drawing PrizeThe drawing ‘Quest’ evolved through an exploratory, searching process, which involved tapping into the subconscious using touch and surrealist-inspired blind and automatic drawing to access my creative impulses. It speaks of the intangible, of psychological and emotional responses to the uncertainties of life. The image raises doubts and questions rather than providing answers, hovering between dissolution and becoming, between presence and absence. Its meaning remains cryptic, elusive and unresolved. Order and balance have been displaced and overcome by subversive forces, e.g. violence, despair and anxiety, leading to instability and chaos. Almost paradoxically, new possibilities emerge, leaving the image open-ended.
When I went for a walk (2014, 80cm x 60cm)Paul Klee said that a line is a dot that went for a walk and in this image I allowed 'dots' of crumbled charcoal pieces, by touching and moving them with my hands, to 'walk' across the canvas and through imaginary space - allowing dots to become lines, shapes and by introduction of paint, tones until an image evolved. I combined subconscious, spontaneous process with conscious decision-making. John Muir's statement also inspired me when he said that he only went out for a walk and finally concluded 'to stay out till sundown, for going out, he found, was really going in'.
Gridlock (2014, charcoal, pastel chalk and masking tape on paper, 99cm x 75cm)I drew this image from memory and using blind drawing, after spending time in rush-hour traffic jams; it is about the stress, entrapment, road rage fear and the wish to escape and day-dreaming while waiting for the (evening) traffic on University Boulevard to flow again.
Next Door (2014, 100cm x 75cm)This drawing is a largely blind drawing and emotive response to the building site next to the Nottingham University Fine art studio on Triumph Road near Jubilee Campus.
Next Door II (2014, Acrylic, charcoal, pastel chalk)
Encounters (2014, charcoal and pastel chalk on canvas, 89cm x 89cm)A trellis-like grid encountering biomorphic, fluid shapes; structure vs chaos; reason vs the irrational.
Thaw (2014, acrylic and oil on canvas, 50cm x 70cm)This work is about indistinct space, dissolving shapes, partially covered or concealed - metaphorical for psychological transformation, uncovering of our interior life.
The Creature Within (2014, pastel chalk and masking tape on paper, 30cm x 42cm)The irrational superseding rationality
Breaking Away (2014, oil on canvas, 80cm x 60cm)An apparently stable, linear structure, becomes disrupted by contrasting, interweaving elements. These strips break out of the static system and precipitate a process of falling-apart. Some fragments loosely reassemble, others gain a life of their own, floating in space. A state of dissolution, a process of transformation - of liberation? Breaking points and small sgraffito gestures also function as disruptive elements, indicating loss of control and emotive expression contrasting with impersonal, strictly geometric aspects. The tension between stasis becoming superseded by movement is conveyed through a variety of formal elements (diagonals, gestures, tonal gradients, spatial illusion). The image reflects the uncertainties of life, transience, constant change and our desire for freedom and movement. It suggests rejection of strict, repressive rules and rigidity. It raises the possibility that a better situation/condition might emerge out of breakdown or disintegration, but simultaneously sheds doubt on this.
Untitled (Untitled, acrylic on paper)
Untitled (untitled, acrylic on paper)
R&B (pastel chalk, charcoal, masking tape on paper)
Untitled (oil on canvas)
Untitled (chalk, pencil, acrylic paint on paper)
Untitled (spray paint on paper)
Untitled (pastel chalk on paper)
Untitled (Oil on paper)
Abundance (pastel chalk and crayon on paper)
Untitled (geometry-gesture) (acrylic, spray paint on paper)
Doodle (Acrylic on canvas)
Urban System (acrylic on paper)
Untitled (Wax crayon on tyvec paper)
Dissolution (Oil on canvas, 50cm x 80cm)I used the grid to express a process of dissolution and falling-apart, but also of the fragility of stability and liberation. I contrasted static geometric elements with loose outlines and brushwork to create a sense of movement.
Looking Back (acrylic on paper)
A4 Entanglement (charcoal and pastel chalk on paper)
Compartmentalisation (Acrylic on canvas)
Daydreamscape (Oil on canvas)
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