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.
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.