I’ve just completed a new oil painting which I’ve called “Burrows”. It is based on an abandoned building I often pass just outside Stafford. Earlier this year I parked up near the building and took a few reference photos to work on back at the studio. I really like the way nature takes over the spaces we leave behind and the contrast between the worn surfaces of the building and the plant life surrounding it. I started this earlier on in the year, put it on hold for a while and then carried on more recently to bring it to completion. Sometimes it’s good to take a break mid way through as it gives you a fresh perspective. You can find ‘Burrows’ in the ‘Abandoned Spaces’ section of the website.
New art, competitions and ideas
As usual, I am busy with a variety of creative projects. I have a new acrylic painting on the go featuring the interior of a derelict ceramics factory that I discovered in Middleport. This is the same building featured in my painting ‘Inside Out’. I’m still experimenting with the graphitint pencils and have a new drawing planned with those. I have more ideas around the abandoned war base theme which look promising too.
There’s a few competitions I will be entering soon. I discovered today that my oil painting, ‘GEC’, has been selected for the Three Counties Open Exhibition 2022 (organised by Arts Keele). The show runs from the 29th July to the 30th August at the Burslem School of Art in Stoke-on-trent. This painting features an abandoned factory in Stafford which has since been demolished. It was a building I was used to seeing throughout my childhood and so it is strange to see it gone.
Three Counties Open Exhibition 2021
I’m pleased to announce that my painting ‘Inside Out’ has been selected for the Three Counties Open Exhibition 2021. This normally takes place at Burslem School of Art but this year will take the form of an online exhibition, available to view throughout the summer.
My selected work is based on an abandoned ceramics factory in Middleport, which I discovered during a day of urban exploring with printmaker Jemma Gunning last year.
I’m currently working on a new painting featuring another derelict factory, this one based on the GEC factory in Stafford which was recently demolished. Both pieces form part of a collection of work exploring the decline of industry.
Urban Exploring
Last weekend I met up with Jemma Gunning to explore parts of Stoke-on-Trent in order to find derelict buildings. We have both independently worked on this theme before but this was the first time we had visited the same site. The idea was that it would be interesting to share ideas and to compare how we both responded to the same visual stimulus.
We ended up in Middleport and discovered abandoned ceramics factories along the canals. These places were falling apart and nature was beginning to take over the spaces. Remnants of the factory work shared space with litter and random debris. We found a sofa outside one place and a graffiti covered caravan too.
These places are ugly seen from one perspective but there is a peculiar beauty and fascination to them too. You think about the loss of industry but also wonder at where all these additional random items originated from. Myself and Jemma took a lot of photos that day and look forward to beginning new work.
Universal II
I have just completed a new ink drawing of the old Universal factory that was a key landmark in Stafford until the recent demolition. It was a place of work for many of the residents in the area and is known by many people. I painted the factory a couple of years ago when it was still in use but even then it looked almost derelict and worn. The drawing captures the place partway through the demolition process. Now there is nothing left.
Universal II will feature in the Fragments II exhibition with Jemma Gunning.
'Union' wins the RBSA Open Exhibition 2020
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.
RBSA Open Exhibition 2020
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.
The Igloo
I have just completed a new drawing inspired by my recent visit to RAF Upper Heyford last year. The new piece is an ink drawing called ‘The Igloo’. The building in the picture was once used to store strategic nuclear bombs and the people on site used to refer these structures as igloos. I have been using ink pens quite a bit recently and using diluted black ink for tonal washes which i think works rather well. I will be working on more pieces from this visit soon.
Open Shows and New Drawing
I have just completed a new ink drawing, ‘Springfield Brewery’, based on an abandoned factory in Wolverhampton. A few years ago I discovered the building as I hunted for subject matter for a derelict building project I was working on. Until now I haven’t responded to my research. I have started to revisit the subject matter as I will be exhibiting with Jemma Gunning later in the year on an abandoned spaces project. Working with ink will complement her printmaking practice.
I have found out today that my painting, ‘Renewal’, has been pre-selected for the Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition 2019. Hopefully it will get past the next round and make it to the show!
Fragments II
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.