I’m pleased to announce that my painting, ‘Union’ has been selected for the Three Counties Open Exhibition 2020. This year, due to the pandemic, the show will be held online running from 31st July to the 31st August. This piece won the RBSA Open Exhibition earlier this year and remains one of my personal favourite pieces of work so far.
I am currently building up a set of work based around the same theme, some of which features in the ‘Fragments II’ online exhibition.
I have just completed a new ink drawing based on RAF Tilstick, an abandoned World War 2 airbase near Whitchurch. The title of the piece is ‘Guard House’ and it can be found in the War Remains section of this website. It is part of an ongoing series of work based around war remains but also continues the theme of dereliction that has featured in my work for a long time now.
The building is from the same site that was featured in my ‘Union’ painting that recently won the RBSA Gallery Open Exhibition. This drawing was made using fine line pens and liquid black ink, a medium that takes a lot of concentration as it cannot be corrected once applied.
My next work will most likely feature RAF Upper Heyford, an airbase in Oxfordshire.
I’m really pleased to announce that my painting, ‘Union’, has won first prize in the RBSA Open Exhibition 2020. This piece depicts RAF Tilstock, an abandoned World War 2 airbase near Whitchurch and is part of a new body of work exploring war ruins. The exhibition features work by artists across the UK and runs until the 4th April at The RBSA Gallery.
I’ve just completed a new drawing, ‘Brunswick Tower’, which features a structure located at RAF Upper Heyford, an abandoned airbase in Oxfordshire. This tower was situated by the weapons storage area and was occupied by a single member for 8 hour shifts at a time.
This piece was created using ink pens and watercolour. Normally my ink drawings are in black and white but I thought I would try a colour tint this time for a bit of variation. The work can be found in the ‘War Remains’ section of this website.
I was very pleased to hear this week that my painting, ‘Union’, has been selected for the forthcoming Open Exhibition at the RBSA Gallery. This piece depicts RAF Tilstock, an abandoned airbase near Whitechurch. I feel this piece works on various levels, the most obvious of which is a reference to the past, when World War 2 was happening. But it is also about dereliction in the broader sense and looks at how nature reclaims the space as the human made structures slowly fall apart. It is also a study of being in the present moment, in harmony with the landscape.
I am beginning to put together a number of pieces that look at the remains of war and am working in different mediums.
I am pleased to announce my ink drawing, ‘Fragments’, has been selected to appear in the Three Counties Open Art 2019. This piece depicts the remains of a World War 2 pillbox found on a beach in Northumberland near Ashington. This large concrete structure cuts a strange silhouette on the landscape and pieces of it can be found strewn across the beach. From a holiday makers point of view it’s an eyesore but on the other hand it’s a fascinating glimpse into history. A number of names have been drawn on the concrete mixing recent history with old. The exhibition runs from the 27th July until the 26th August at The Burslem School of Art.
I am currently preparing for my exhibition with Jemma Gunning which starts in September. The show is also called Fragments which relates to the themes running through both our work (we’re both fascinated by dereliction and abandonment). Whilst selecting work for the show I decided to revisit my painting of RAF Seighford as I had felt for some time that it needed some extra work. The changes I have made are subtle but noticeable and it is now a stronger piece.
I am currently organising giclee prints for some of my work. These will be available from myself and selected galleries. More information on this soon.
I have just completed a new painting, ‘Fragments II’, which is based on the same collapsed structure featured in my recent drawing. The work ties in with the other themes that i have been exploring but adds a new environment that is rarely featured in my work - the beach. As with the recent tree paintings natural elements mix with human made - debris and litter with rocks, grass and sand. Text features again with the graffiti adding a record of visits made to the site.
The structure appears to be the remains of a World War 2 pill box but could perhaps be something else. As with my other work the mystery of the space along with the evidence of passing time appeals to me.
Fragments II can be seen in the Abandoned Spaces section of this website.