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Awakening
Oil on canvas
Image Size: 75 x 100cm
2021
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This work was inspired by many early morning walks in the forest - sketching, photographing and observing the subtle daily changes. I wanted to create a feeling of the forest waking up - insects buzzing, deer beginning to move around, bugs scurrying, leaves unfolding - all seen through early morning misty sunlight.
I feel it also represents self-awakening. A new day, a new sun, new growth - I see infinite possibilities in the minute changes in nature.
I aim to express the feel and mood of a moment in time rather than depict a specific location or subject. The work is probably more about my internal thoughts than the external view. I think of my paintings as dreamscapes. As such the landscape is simply a starting point for the work and the finished paintings are universal.
Oil paint is applied in many thin glazes over a wooden panel. These glazes of oil paint create a translucent surface revealing subtle colour variations with prolonged viewing. There are also asemic, calligraphic-like marks representing the movement of insects. Layers of misty effects are applied over darker areas. There are areas of sanding, scraping revealing texture and colour underneath. There are also areas of paint blown delicately to make organic, semi-transparent motifs.
My main historical references are Bosch, Monet and Turner and contemporary artists Chu Te Chun, Zao Wou-Ki, Cruz Jimenez, Darren Waterston, Ella Baudinet and Lissa Bockrath. I was also influenced by the simplicity of Chinese ink painting and traditional Japanese woodblock prints.
I hope the viewer finds a sense of both peace and movement and can feel something of the precious and fragile nature of our environment.