Figures structure the compositions, always directly lifted from source. They are objectified and further reduced or manipulated; regularly playing with presence through absence. I am investigating how an icon is constructed, in terms of process, content and image.
Specific images are chosen as symbols. Consumable, perishable goods suggest contemporary ‘memento mori’, encapsulations of the brevity of life and the permanent flux of impermanence echoing the fleeting nature of the original source. Standardly recognised artifacts, such as carrier bags or flooring, are appropriated and re-objectified. Alongside these are images of luxurious high-status items, such as lobsters or wearables, associated with excess and the potential superficiality of materialism. Ideas of ‘masking’ – the veiling of visual or social ugliness – are questioned within the work, both through the choice of adorning imagery and the way paint is applied.
The paintings have a permanence, synonymous with their medium, but whose fragile, imperfect surfaces mirror the reality of their dystopian subject matter. Original images are elevated and archived from their ‘throwaway’ context, set into a lineage of painting; transformed into alluring objects, responding to the seductiveness of the printed original.
I have developed particular rules, when building a painting, deliberately rigorous and formulaic. However, I continually press against these self-imposed restrictions to allow the infiltration of chance, failure and new possibilities.
The process and aesthetics of collage form the basis of the work. The direct lifting and playful juxtaposition of familiar, yet seemingly disparate imagery produce a heightened sense of peculiarity. I carefully construct titles, which hold an inherently important role in informing the work.
I make a traditional recipe of handmade gesso choosing, when appropriate, to add pigmented colours. Whilst preparing the gesso surface on board, I fanatically sand for a smooth yet inevitably flawed surface that, when inspected close up, reveals the intricacies and incidental qualities of the material. A combination of painting techniques and materials are exploited, mixing tightly worked areas with violent marks to enhance and heighten the images’ qualities.The original images’ colours are largely used, however, frequently acidics feature along with monochromes, further abstracting from context, whilst invoking Painting’s lineage. Superficial brights contrast and displace the darker undertones of the subject. This deliberate palette creates a dialogue between the individual works and affirms their relationship with one another.