Watercolours

Landscape Poetry

These tiny paintings are still in the process of evolving. I’ve been working on them for a while now but this is the first time they have been framed and exhibited. Most have been grouped, either two or three to each frame, and this means that each individual painting needs to add to the others and extend the shared concept. Now they read like poems, with verses, more like poetry than visual art, saying a lot through disciplined and minimal means. We visit Japan every year, and some of that culture seems to have made a subtle impact, quietly influencing my thoughts. These works are not Japanese, but they are perhaps reminiscent of haiku, those very short and elegant poems that were once central to that refined culture.

Submerge

Group Show
GYRACC Gallery, Katherine, NT
Aug - Sept 2024

ABOUT SUBMERGE

An ongoing series of tiny paintings, predominantly landscapes, all watercolour and acrylic inks on Baohong paper. This selection is on the theme of springs and the aquifers that feed them.

These paintings are simultaneously 'postcards' from some of the most beautiful wild places on Earth, but are also the outcome of puzzles and challenges, like a visual version of sudoku. However the viewer probably won’t be able to discern this fundamental process so it is worth mentioning it here, as there is another deeper layer to the meaning of these works which explains why they are so fascinating and rewarding to do.

This is a one-way approach, and the small scale is governed by the interplay between the paints and the texture of the paper. There is no 'undo' button, and I am committed to continue using what I already have, and then finding a way to build on it. The first mark sets the scene and can be relatively easy, but as the work progresses the choices becomes more and more selective until the piece 'transforms' into its final form. Or not…it’s a risky process.

Those paintings that do succeed are often very different from the original concept, and can be a real surprise, evoking unexpected emotions and insights. It is this joy of discovery that keeps it all so stimulating - I never know when I sit down to paint what I will end up with, and where these unexpected ideas will take me. But should these little works 'talk' to you, the viewer, you can be sure that they will take you to a place that is yours alone.

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Small Paintings