Whilst the figurative work finds its roots in the altered books, the abstract collages reference some small reliefs I made at Shave Farm Artist Workshop. They were made from strips of hardboard which I used to apply my paint. At the end of the day, I would paint the strips so that the mixed up colour wouldn’t go to waste. These were later arranged together to create a composition.
At the time, they seemed inconsequential but over the years I have kept them around, always hoping to find a way to take them further.
This was the first fragment composition that I made and the relief pieces were in my mind.
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| Shave Farm 1992 |
At the time, they seemed inconsequential but over the years I have kept them around, always hoping to find a way to take them further.
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| Obvious Material 2016 |
Since then, I have made many more, but it wasn't until November last year that I decided to work directly from the original relief.
Shave Farm Remembered 2017
I knew that I wanted to return to making assemblages but unlike those of 20 years ago constructed from the wooden pallets, I wanted them to be about colour. Throughout my career as an artist, I have always been fascinated by colour. The earlier work was influenced by colour theory and the colour combinations I saw around me. Finding the plastic washed up on the beach in Wales gave me that opportunity. Looking down at the beach I saw my palette of distressed surfaces and muted colour.
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Frame of Reference 2017
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The first piece I made responded to the shapes and forms of the plastic. The contrasting opaque and transparent surfaces, with the broken edges, are similar to torn and weathered paper.
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| Passage 2018
I had been working on this subject matter in collage but felt it was too literal. I was trying to capture a fleeting glimpse of trains travelling over the viaduct, These fragmented coloured structures seemed to communicate what I was trying to achieve more effectively.
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Field of Vision 2018
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In the found plastic I collected I am intrigued by the moulded shapes and forms, displaying the traces of its previous life and how the motion of the sea has sanded and tarnished the surfaces. Due to the nature of the plastics, the pieces suggest the subject matter but maintain a level of ambiguity.
