Exhibition at Linton — Summer 2023

In June and July 2023 I held a solo exhibition of paintings in Linton, Cambridgeshire. The show brought together a selection of recent work in oil and cold wax, spanning a range of scales and exploring the recurring themes of my practice: the forest, the fenland, the quality of northern light, and the tension between representation and abstraction.

The Work

The paintings in this exhibition were developed through the layered process that characterises my approach to oil and cold wax — building up surfaces through successive applications of paint and medium, then scraping back, incising, and reworking to reveal depth and texture. The result is a surface that carries the history of its making: traces of earlier marks, shifts in colour and tone, and the physical evidence of the tools used.

My work displays an underlying preoccupation with abstraction, design, and the tactile qualities of materials. To create pictures is to engage in a wonderful, intense activity that deepens the sense of mystery and fascination that we all experience in our lives. The real magic and power of art lives in the alchemy of materials, memory, awareness, experience, and feeling.

Background

Although from the UK, I have spent many years living and working abroad — in Germany, Cyprus, and the Middle East — and all of these places have inevitably influenced my development as an artist. In any discussion of seeing and perception, we know that what we see with our eyes is only a fragment of the entire story. We do not merely see what is directly in front of us; we see in relation to ourselves, our past, and our experiences.

If my paintings have an uncertain quality, then I may have made some progress — because nothing in this world stays the same. Painting is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, and when all these elements come together, you simply know.