Momentum

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Work in progress - Hand.


I’m back in the studio after a few days, and it’s taking me a while to get back into the work. I’m feeling lost, wondering what on Earth I’m doing. An hour and a half later, things are starting to make sense, to cohere. I have an understanding of what’s needed, of direction, and of feeling I’m back in the work. Relief. Perhaps this art thing isn’t such a crazy idea after all.

The painterly qualities of a Comms Tower

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Work in progress - acrylic on linen-covered board and laser-print.


Sometimes, things I see grab my attention. This comms tower—something about the structure, the squareness, and brute physicality.

In the studio, the original photo becomes a black-and-white laser print used as a reference for my painting. My brushwork is quite tight right now. For the background, perhaps I’ll go with the blue you see below or keep things in shades of grey. Maybe a stain rather than brushwork. Decisions.

What also strikes me is the painterly quality of the photo. It’s pretty lovely.

Big studio, small paintings, and breaking my rules

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The studio


I now have a vast space to work in. So, of course, I’m working on small paintings.

Work in progress. Small blue painting with cartoon hand raised.

Work in progress. Small painting with abstract marks and an upside-down gestural portrait of Bono.

I’ve started to experiment with figurative images in my paintings.

The source material for the hand comes from one of the many “eye candy” images I’ve saved. An intuitive choice. It reminds me of a Throwing Muses record cover, which, after a quick Google search, exits only in my imagination!

Photo of Marilyn Munroe, hand against the window of a Palmist’s shop. There’s a cartoon hand painted on the window.

Why figurative images?

To see what might happen, to challenge myself technically, and to break some of my unwritten rules about painting.

I feel uncomfortable using figurative images – I’m uncertain how they’ll be read and what they mean. I want to make paintings where I’ve gotten myself out of the way, allowing the painting to emerge. Works that are, hmmm, authentic. I’m not sure if figurative images allow this (yet). It’s early days; this is new ground that will be unfamiliar. Also, I like a challenge.

Daily drawing

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Many artists have their rituals or habits. They may be long-held or fleeting. I’m thinking of Peter Robinson and his “Blind Date” drawings – eyes closed, he writes the day’s date with a stick of charcoal. Or Simon Morris’s Daily Paintings, adding a layer of paint to a canvas daily.

When I start in the studio, I mix up a single colour and, with a brush, draw over the previous day’s drawing. The piece above is from four studio visits, and I think it’s done.

On my next trip to the studio, I’ll start with a fresh (old) sheet of paper – I’m (re)using paper I’ve already drawn/painted on, so there is something to draw over.

New Year, new studio

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A wide-angle view from the sofa.


And I’m back…

I hope this finds you well and that you’ve had a good break during the Christmas & New Year period.

Yesterday, I moved into a shared studio space. It’s for six weeks until the artist with the lease moves out. Then, if I want to stay, I’ll need to find a way to cover all the rent.

It’s a vast space with plenty of room for two or even three people, so one option is to find another artist to share with. That said, being there yesterday, I realised it would be quite the thing to have it all to myself. So, I’ll explore and find ways to pay the rent alongside making new work over the coming weeks. Fingers crossed – I think I may be busy!