I’ve just completed a small new oil painting based on an area of Cannock Chase. Although I’ve used this forest many times as inspiration, the difference this time was that I wanted to create something that focuses on a peaceful atmosphere. For me, the forest is a place of great wonder but also somewhere I go to unwind and get away from the stresses of life. The media is generally quite negative and paints a bleak and hopeless view of the world. Although life has challenges, there is beauty and acts of kindness but you rarely hear or read about it. As a student I was given the impression that serious works of art should be political or deal with social issues but I’ve recently felt like making work that is calm and still. The new painting is called ‘The Path Home’ and can be found in the ‘Small Works’ section of this website.
The Quiet Path
I am currently working across several creative projects. Just recently I have been doing a lot of pen and ink work and have just completed a new drawing in this medium, ‘The Quiet Path’, which can be seen in the ‘Woodland II’ section of this website. This is a small drawing depicting Cannock Chase once again but in many ways it could be from many other forests around the UK. The point of most of my art is always more than what is on the surface and the forest is also an environment to lose yourself in and clear your mind. It’s a great source of inspiration and a very calming influence.
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!
Fragment
I have just completed a new piece of work based on a derelict World War 2 pillbox I discovered in Northumberland. The collapsed concrete structure is quite striking and caught my eye immediately as I approached the beach. A large piece of it, featured in the drawing, balances from where it once stood onto the rocks below appearing like a jagged bridge. People have scratched in their names onto the surface like they sometimes do on trees. The history of the original structure mixes with the recent history of visitors to the area. In addition, this area had the quiet atmosphere often associated with derelict buildings and like my recent tree paintings combined natural with human made elements.
The drawing, entitled ‘Fragment’, was created using ink pens and ink washes and can be found in the Abandoned Spaces section of this website.
XA
I have just completed another painting which is part of the new woodland collection. This series differs from the previous work in that it looks at the interaction between people and nature. The new painting, 'XA', shows a scene with a spray painted tree indicating a recent interaction. I recently visited a beach in Northumberland where a similar interaction had taken place.
As with my other work this piece also looks at silence and stillness - there is something beyond words that is felt and not spoken and the painting is my way of expressing that.