Blog

August 2023

Art Diagonale V

Residency / symposium in Wels, Austria

Extract:

At the beginning of the symposium in Wels, Austria, I was engaged in creating a series of small paintings on paper that were a continuation of ideas from previous work over the past few months prior to arriving in Austria. They are a kind of automatic painting related to my surroundings. They are an important part of my process as a starting point for a way of working, engaged with both the physical application of the materials and my thinking about how to construct a piece of work. 

These initial small works are expanded into larger paintings, which are produced on the floor using acrylics. I usually work from the floor as it gives more freedom to the practice. I let the paintings develop naturally and are informed, in part, by the outside landscape as well as the inner landscape, i.e., my thought processes, feelings, mental and physical connections.

Following this are new works in progress as an example of the beginnings of a new series of works where I'm continuing to explore connections between outer and inner landscapes using contrasting imagery, and has a more personal connection. I want to show how a connection to one's past can sometimes override thinking about the present, or future. This is more directly related to the changing environment. They are remnants of a future past and a way to connect landscape and the self.