In 2022 I had a residency at the Grafton Regional Gallery, and created these paintings there to be part of the group show 'Inland See', a curation of contemporary art by NSW artists. During the residency I created works that stemmed from my existing body of work - in this case the Unpopular Penguin series - but I had the opportunity to stretch them in new ways, in terms of colours, compositions and materials. Creating a body of work for a show at a non-commercial gallery was a welcome opportunity.
For this particular painting, I built up layers of mixed media on a cradled wooden board - pages from books, with drawings and monoprints, that were then painted over with acrylic paints. I wanted to create a richness and depth of imagery and texture. The artwork has a grid of nine book covers, that slowly disintegrate into increasingly abstract forms.
This painting has a satin varnish. The surface is heavily textured, with its elements of collage and layers of paint and sealer. The sides are unpainted timber, and the artwork can be framed or hung as-is, such as in the photos.