In the Studio - work in progress.

I have spent a long time living with and looking at this first piece, as often happens it has been influenced by the progress I made with the second piece. The second piece was an outworking of the ideas from the first. Almost like the subconscious as opposed to the former conscious. The construction process is interdependent and has now developed another spur in a third piece. This is perhaps the abstract subconscious !?

The work is evolving from abstract landscape towards self portrait. Retaining identity from within the landscape there is now a new space beyond this where my internal psychological terrain is becoming a visual language. I am represented by shapes and forms and their relationships, colours are significant.

The narrative
Piece 1 Disconnect.
This piece is all about division, separateness, segmented parts of a whole within a context, the context is the land and the incoming tide spreading over the space between. The triangles are blocking, cramming and perhaps suffocating the connection of a wider sense of calm brought in from the larger free moving forms appearing from the right. In order for connection and flow there must be destruction.

Piece 2 Disconnect 2
This piece has a strong naive presence, holding back, repressing or simply containing fragility depending how you look at it. Protected or held back. Bold or vulnerable.

Piece 3
This is simply a self portrait I am not even sure I can articulate why other than to say it's language is visual so words don't seem to work. It's more about getting an abstract sense of me and how I see myself at this point in time. If it helps I identify strongly with the black triangle though I wonder if both the White square and the Black triangle are two aspects of me, their placement is significant the White square moving in from the right.

Disconnect series 1

Back painting again, this time a series called Disconnect, these are self portraits (in the sense of reflecting a state of mind). The series is an accumulation of knowledge, thought, memories and identity. I identify with the black form at present though my guess is that I may transfer..... only time will tell. Triangles are my hidden identity.

There are hints of landmass, tidal movement,standing water, space, height, air, lightness, colour, playfulness and naivety.

These are works in progress.

Looking at one of my first abstract paintings Galley Hill, there is a force pushing from the right onto the space the black form inhabits. Its edges cover and recede in the space between. Connecting and disconnecting.

From pain lane, up rocky road to Galley Hil

Identity .....
From pain lane up rocky road to sunset boulevard.....
The flag pole has moved.
Art is a bridge between inner and outer worlds.
Ernest Jones from 'the theory of symbolism' 1919.
What interests me right now is the dualism of identity.
One signal out one signal back.
Inside outside
public secret
yin yang
ego id
positive negative
black white
certainty doubt
living dead
love hate
past present
space matter
good bad
attract repel
Hot cold
Up down
Conscious unconscious
The list is as long as we make it.
scales....balance ....this is life this is the energy of connection..... except the scales keep tipping so it feels clumsy. I try to keep a balance to remain in control yet I learn more when things go out of balance.
But back to the flag, now the flag pole occupies it's own bigger more suitable and fitting space, now it can reach over the water, to other towns to other shores, to northern france. Now that would be interesting.
From up here literally and metaphorically I can see further, a wider view, a sense of scale and context. It was hard getting here, a big climb involving personal sacrifice.
Letting go of everything creates the space for new things to grow.
I see two sides to everything and this reflects in my work.
Finding edges and exploring connections.
Where you have contrast you have interest and where you have interest there is creativity.

As Graham Sutherland once said 'tension between opposites, the precarious balanced moment'
So am exploring the meeting of opposites. 2 people, 2 halves, 2 sides, 2 ways and the subsequent layers or impact of connection between.
I have built layers on a surface in painting
I am building layers of relationship through partnerships
I have unearthed layers of buried emotion
The big flag is traditional and contemporary through it we can explore connective layers of history and modern culture. I love the fact that Wilfrid settled in this region briefly circa 600 he brought even then a contemporary edge to a settlement entrenched in tradition. The order he belonged to was the rule of saint benedict. The spirit of St Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of the Benedictine Confederation: pax ("peace") and the traditional ora et labora ("pray and work").
Compared to other precepts, the Rule provides a moderate path between individual zeal and formulaic institutionalism; because of this middle ground it has been widely popular. Benedict's concerns were the needs of monks in a community environment: namely, to establish due order, to foster an understanding of the relational nature of human beings, and to provide a spiritual father to support and strengthen the individual's ascetic effort and the spiritual growth that is required for the fulfillment of the human vocation, theosis. (Thanks wikipedia.)
Wilfrid brought this way of life to Sussex. The tension between bringing order and encouraging relational understanding is still present in our culture today. Isn't this what is at the heart of regeneration?