Exploring the Fusion of Tradition and Contemporary: Landscape Painters - Gold Enamel and cold wax medium

'Veiled River' Oil, Cold wax, Enamel on Canvas

Using gravity and motion as his tools, Jackson Pollock, famously dubbed 'Jack the Dripper', developed a unique style of dynamic, expressive, and innovative art. He worked on large canvases laid on the floor of his studio, utilising brushes and cans to pour and drip household and enamel paint. His creations resembled a dance, a performance that captured kinetic energy and action. Pollock was a key figure in American abstract expressionism, a groundbreaking and influential 20th-century movement that rejected representation and illusion, focusing instead on exploring the physical properties of paint intuitively and spontaneously. Abstract expressionists sought to free painting from realism or a fixed compositional framework.

'Veiled River' Detail

The Fenlands of Cambridgeshire are a blend of water and earth, where rivers and dykes sculpt the terrain. Here, there's no illusion or deception, just the essence of nature and human innovation. At the core of this area, Wicken Fen is a place filled with wonder and mystery, where water softly meanders through the tall reeds and bull rushes. Once submerged by the sea, the Fenlands stand as a testament to human creativity and resilience, moulded and altered over generations. This painting captures the fragile and captivating beauty of this transient world, as it anticipates the sea's inevitable return.

'Veiled River' Detail

My paintings often result from a diverse journey, with their creation sometimes spanning months or even years. I don't follow a strict blueprint or plan; instead, I embrace the surprises and changes that arise along the way. This approach makes painting both exciting and challenging for me. The technique of pouring and dripping paint embodies this adventurous mindset. While I can't control everything, I enjoy the dynamism and spontaneity of painting. Many contemporary artists use layers to add depth and texture, relying partly on chance to discover new possibilities and effects. However, it's essential to know how and when to intervene with care and judgment, as random events alone aren't enough to create a great painting.

In this piece, I've created a dynamic rhythm by applying repeated vertical strokes of gold enamel paint. The background features a textured layer of cold wax, stamped with aluminium foil and incised with knives. To add depth and contrast to the shapes of the reeds and bullrushes, I've used diluted bitumen. Various gold enamel paints, along with 'gold foil' highlights, contribute to a gradation of light and shade. The lushness of the undergrowth emerges from numerous drawn, painted, and stamped marks, trails, and layers.

'Veiled River' Detail