River City
Acrylic painting on canvas 100 x 100 cm
I am currently working on a series of paintings based on the city of Cambridge in the UK.
This is a multi layered mixed media acrylic painting on a high quality canvas frame. I am currently working on a series of paintings based on the city of Cambridge. I don’t believe that we can ever really know a particular place or location, not in a purely objective way, not even through the ‘impartiality’ of a camera lens. There are so many different ways of seeing, understanding and interpreting; our view of the world is a subjective, personal experience.
I have developed these paintings through a sort of conversational process, an exchange of ideas and thoughts; of talking and listening. What you see here is the result of many such conversations; a constant give and take between what I think I have to say as a painter and what the painting has to say to me. The painting often contradicts me and frequently suggests that I may be mistaken in my views. Out of consideration for my feelings it may abruptly suggest alternative ways of progressing. I sometimes delude myself into thinking I am directing the conversation but I know that this human activity of ‘painting’ is a joint construction, a combined effort. What you see here is a partnership between planning and accident, conceit and humility, confidence and deflation, wisdom and foolishness, a conversation between friends……we were just talking about the city…..I expect the conversation will continue.