Capturing the fleeting and the transitory
"My subject is the cityscape, an environment so rich in potentiality and yet so often neglected. My aim is to encourage people to reappraise their environments and feel a greater sense of involvement, ownership and participation. In this way, art leads to action. The paintings are both figurative - relating to the city - and abstract with their formal structures, reflections of light and modulated saturated colour. This creative interplay between abstraction and representation is crucial to the nature of the work and its inspiration.
Fundamental to my work is the technique which ensures a fusion of method and imagery. Research leads to a series of drawings which formulate and define the imagery. The drawings then become masks through which the paintings are sprayed. This unique method allows for a form of glazing, a means of developing richness and subtlety in the colour and an uninterrupted surface save for changes in hue, tone and structure. The very subject matter, the result of the research, determines the means of painting.
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masques for 'Changing Times'
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My philosophy of art is that it should not be esoteric but that it should serve the purpose of enriching and enlightening people's conception of the world in which they live. Art must not be divorced from reality. This philosophy has revealed itself in commissions which link art to business and industry. These paintings not only enhance the environments in which they are placed but also heighten people's awareness of the complex purposes served by the sponsoring organisations. Business, industry and educational establishments quite rightly see art as functional. But in no way is artistic integrity compromised by this patronage. Rather it carries on one of the most fundamental and traditional patterns of artistic creation: the relationship between artist and sponsor or patron.
The role of the artist combines the solitariness of the studio with the vulnerability of public exhibition. The solitariness results in creativity. The public exhibition assists in the process of communication between artist and public. Painting is my life. What I am painting is what I believe in and what I have spent my whole professional life researching and practising. I want to continue to convey my vision and my understanding. I want my work to be approachable, to be enjoyed and to enhance lives."
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