Transmission

Sometime ago I had the opportunity to acquire this very large canvas from a fellow artist who had bitten off more than he could chew. We agreed on a price, and at 3 metres long I just managed to squeeze it into my car and get it home. I was unsure what to do with it because he had already painted the background black, so my options were limited. My first idea was to stand it up and drip paint down the length of the canvas to make the most of the size. This was ok except the paint didn’t co-operate. Even with the help of a spirit level to make sure the canvas was straight, the paint drips took their own path and headed off in all directions as it made its way down (along) the canvas. I dripped the paint from both ends, mostly blue at one end, green at the other, hoping they would meet in the middle to create interesting clashes. I was never happy with it, so put it aside for about a year. I then decided to cut my losses and paint over it and start something new, but at the last minute I dripped some paint down the width of the canvas, and it worked! I focused the drips around the middle of the canvas where the long drips had drifted apart, and it seemed to tie the long lines up and keep them on the canvas. It also had somewhat of a vibrant affect, that created movement from the lines clashing in direction and colour. So here we have it, “Transmission”.

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Have been painting in Oils for 20 years, starting off in a traditional landscape/still life style, but gradually evolving to wherever inspiration, and the paint and colour take me. I have Illustrated Children's books, working in Acrylic, however the flow, movement and deep depth of colour of Oil's are truly addictive.

My art is wide and varied, and provides me with endless joy, with the odd moment of frustration along the way. The joy of my art is that I don't put any restrictions on it. It flows, it comes from ideas, visions and sometimes just from playing with paint. The whole point of being a creative person, is to be creative, so I can't lock into a particular style and paint that style over and over. The closest I come to that are my fish paintings, but I love my fish paintings, they are so relaxing, therapeutic and never quite the same as I chase the swimming fish around the canvas.
Sometimes I will start a painting with a particular idea, or style in mind, but as soon as I apply paint to the canvas I see something happening that I simply can't resist. So the original idea is taken over by the intriguing possibilities of the unknown creation that lies ahead. Sometimes that creation is nothing special, or lost in the overworked searches for that magic painting that came from nowhere. Sometimes, that magic painting does come from nowhere, and I stand back amazed and wonder how it happened. My years of experience have taught me to trust my artistic instincts, so more often than not, I am pleased with the results.
I have no doubt that my unrestricted "style" probably works against my marketable profile, but I love the way I can paint with freedom and I cannot wait to see what I come up with next.