Paper short abstract:

I shall be showing some of my paintings and discussing how they were created, attempting to trace a path from the inner landscape of the mind to the image on the canvas. My work is often perceived as representing journeys: I’ll be addressing this idea, with emphasis on the interpretation of figures as pilgrims or refugees.

Paper long abstract:

My work is an exploration of the places between the metaphorical world of the mind and the physical world of the observed or imaginary landscape.

In the act of looking at a painting the viewer can find a place to create their own narrative. I’ll discuss how, in providing this place, I arrive at certain images in my work, often by chance but sometimes deliberately; why I like to create an ambiguity in the paintings so that the viewer is never quite sure of the nature of the territory, who the figures are or where they might be going. I’m aware that the figures in my work, my “citizens of the world”, can be perceived as refugees or pilgrims. Placing these unnamed people in an unknown landscape or situation can create a sense of unease and disquiet, reflecting thoughts of displacement and flight. Where groups of figures are seen heading in the same direction towards an unseen destination off the edge of the canvas, they are sometimes interpreted as pilgrims.

The spatial relationship between the figures, whether they are on the same picture plane or separated out across the canvas, can lead to speculation about their identity and personal relationships.

Discarded items or remains of structures can sometimes be seen in the paintings. These can give rise to questions about the nature of place and, with the notable absence of figures in these particular paintings, whether the land has been inhabited or occupied and then abandoned.