Thomas
This is named after my youngest son. He is forever looking to other places, he is demanding and strong willed and always knows what he wants; even when it is contrary to what everyone else in the family wants. His curiosity and faith in himself often over whelms any natural self preservation which most of us rely on to keep us safe.
This painting is created over three layers. The first most inset layer is the road. It is as if the road is carved out of the world around it and all that stands on the road is a young child. The landscape around the road is scattered with obstacles, each one of these is cut out by hand and painted, then reinserted into the layer of wood. The street lights are on the third layer of the painting. The black structure of the lights are one piece of wood, the lights are cut out, painted and replaced. The child is standing on the road, layer one, he over laps the mapped world around him and becomes the most forward part of the painting as he minuetly further than the lights around his path.
The child is showing us that he will not be able to stay on the defined road, that the world is calling. At first glance he may appear to be asking to change direction, but his body language and the expression quickly shows that his mind is already made up.
The painting measures 545mm x 545mm, depth: 20mm
“Don’t limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time. -Rabbinic saying
The Colour of Music
This was done during winter, when the house was cold and it became more apparant than usual that music adds colour to the world as well as sound. It warms a house both audiably and visually.
Each key on the piano is separately cut. The colour of the music is the rear most layer of the painting. Each colour is a separate piece of wood and as with the individual notes of a composition, some blend comfortably into each other while others contrast.
The keys for the foremost layer of the painting, as any pianist will tell you, the music starts with the key expands to fill the space around.
Racing Car
Through out my live I have taken to the roads, for years I was a dispatch rider in London, I supported myself through university by working on a trusty Honda CX500, a bike which served me well and kept me fed and watered for many years. Since having a family I have become rather less reckless with my life, but the feel of freedom from cars and motorbikes will never leave me.
When we first moved to France we lived in Pau, and each year we attended the Grand Prix de Pau and the Grand Prix de Pau Historique. Both weekends were amazing! I took literally thousands of photos. This painting was inspired by the atmosphere and colour of the Pau GP. It is a street race so the buzz is more powerful than those held at race tracks. The access to the paddocks made it almost impossible to not be caught in the electric atmosphere of the event, and the love that the Historique drivers had for their cars.
Joseph
My son loved this so much that he asked for it to be named after him. I hope that when any child leaves their perfect secure worlds that they head into something at least as wonderful.
The colourful world of the child is created on the first layer of wood. This wood is cut by hand into the different shapes, each shape is then painted and carefully reconstructed to build the technicolour world. The child, is a dressed in black and on a second layer, the path he walks on starts in the technicolour world and leads him out of the painting. His placement suggests that he is leaving for another segment of life, an unknown outside of his current world, the slight angling on the body reminds us that even when we want to progress there is trepidation in our steps.
The painting measures 535mm x 535mm ( depth: 25mm), is is in a custom made frame and is one of a pair along with Thomas
¨Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!¨
Bob Marley
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