Eat not Eat
45cmx 52cm
Rust binder, acrylic on linen with metal earring.
2023
An alchemic moment that forged this. Linen stretched canvas with acrylic binder and layers of rust left to sit and congeal revealing shapes, particularly this mouth-like figure accentuated with diluted white acrylic, which does not read like acrylic but more like a wash. The green, a Verdigris colour, matched to mimic the copper of rooftops. The dots applied after failed chimneys were painted in and then blurred out. I am obsessed with photographing chimneys and roofs; there is something about the shock of finding something just by looking up. After trying to paint countless chimneys, I realised it was not about the chimneys. The reason I was drawn to chimneys is the disruption of the eyeline. In London, where buildings are often built tall, high, and close together, sky and light are often blocked. So, the shock of finding simplicity ( the sky ) and small areas of complexity ( the chimneys ) is extremely pleasurable. This painting gives me a similar feeling to when I look at rooftops. It is not quite there yet, but the texture of the rust with spaces of intensity and these Verdigris dots is on its way to filling that feeling.
The earing on the painting is a necessary edition. It is an activating force, A reminder of the pre-oxidised state of the painting, the alchemy at work.
45cmx 52cm
Rust binder, acrylic on linen with metal earring.
2023
An alchemic moment that forged this. Linen stretched canvas with acrylic binder and layers of rust left to sit and congeal revealing shapes, particularly this mouth-like figure accentuated with diluted white acrylic, which does not read like acrylic but more like a wash. The green, a Verdigris colour, matched to mimic the copper of rooftops. The dots applied after failed chimneys were painted in and then blurred out. I am obsessed with photographing chimneys and roofs; there is something about the shock of finding something just by looking up. After trying to paint countless chimneys, I realised it was not about the chimneys. The reason I was drawn to chimneys is the disruption of the eyeline. In London, where buildings are often built tall, high, and close together, sky and light are often blocked. So, the shock of finding simplicity ( the sky ) and small areas of complexity ( the chimneys ) is extremely pleasurable. This painting gives me a similar feeling to when I look at rooftops. It is not quite there yet, but the texture of the rust with spaces of intensity and these Verdigris dots is on its way to filling that feeling.
The earing on the painting is a necessary edition. It is an activating force, A reminder of the pre-oxidised state of the painting, the alchemy at work.