Layers......life has different layers as we age. Work, play, family, what we wear and how we feel has many layers. Some we show and some we keep private. Like the layers of life, my paintings have many, many layers that are applied before I’m satisfied that a piece of art is finished. The paintings are acrylic, mixed media on wood panels and includes framing with simple hardwood floater frame.
My work begins with a jumble of marks, words or layers of collage. With each pass of paint something starts to emerge. Inspiration comes entirely from within, so I never know what the end product will be. As the process continues…… suddenly a name for the work that is in front of me comes into my mind. This signals the end stage.
I’m drawn to painting and find the whole process therapeutic. Getting lost in the making is a great way to express myself. As I develop and experiment with my art I am finding ways to express involved and complex thought processes particularly memories from my childhood through the filter of an older adult. Many people miss the opportunity to embrace their artistic potential. We often get caught up with the concepts of ‘neatness’, ‘realism’ and what art ‘should’ look like. I hope that, through my art, people will see that they can ignore those roadblocks - deriving satisfaction and joy from this more organic, free-flowing style of painting.
For my audience; you will interpret each painting in your own way, using your imagination to define what you see. That way you will enjoy the colours, shapes and, of course, the previous painted layers peeping through to the surface creating a rich history.