The pandemic has been a rough ride, don’t get me wrong, but to spin it in a positive light - it has given people the opportunity to stop and evaluate many aspects of life, including career, hobbies, relationships etc. In this way, it has been a positive, and for me this definitely translated with my work.
For those that have a grasp of the processes I use to create my mixed media cityscapes, you will know that each piece begins life as an abstract concoction - random pieces of collage and paint slapped on with care-free vigour - being creative and spontaneous with pumped up tunes on usually! It has always been my mantra that in order to create something exciting you need to start with something exciting. But I have often arrived at a midway point with these expressive, suggestive foundations and appreciated how they might go in an alternative direction, one that continued to be untethered. During lockdown, with thoughts and ideas building up, I set about creating this abstract collection.
A meandering journey ensued... time just evaporated - I’ve never felt so undistracted in what I was doing. Collaged figures, text and swipes of paint merge and flow into one another - a free flow of energy and spontaneity. In many ways, they’re a bit like snapshots from the random dreams I often have!
With no end goal as such, it was really challenging to know when to walk away from a piece - there was plenty of standing back and squinting going on. Some pieces came together effortlessly, others had a few ‘costume changes’ along the way shall we say. Whilst many techniques from my cityscapes will be recognisable, I enjoyed a more flexible approach to mark making using spray cans or oil pastel scribbles. Although more time consuming overall, it has been thoroughly enjoyable to ‘let loose’ - to push boundaries - and I am immensely proud of this new work..
I will admit, it was nerve wracking to showcase a slightly new direction to you all but as an artist I think it is important to continue to explore and experiment rather than being typecast. I hope you like them as much as I have enjoyed creating them. You can view the pieces here.
I’d love to know your thoughts on them!
