Carving Fragment

The piece of wood was collected from Holywell Dene in Northumberland after a storm. A huge branch had been torn off and a torn fragment had smashed to the ground. 

I instantly knew I wanted to do something with it.
The texture of the surface was undulated where the fibres of the wood had been ripped and suggested folds of fabric.

I tried to carve the surface without removing too much of the original shape and surface. It suggested to me the polychrome sculptures from medieval churches and soon became folds of fabric revealing a single foot protuding from the hem. 

The top part of the sculpture was more difficult to resolve but eventually evolved into the suggestion of flames which seemed apt to me since a bolt of lightening had brought the piece of wood down from the top of a beech tree.

Nest

A blackbird made a nest in a woodstore on my allotment. I didn't discover it until one day when I was gardening near there.

Every time I bent down to weed the parent flew over my head to feed its chick. It must have been watching and waiting. All I felt was the draught from its wings and I heard the purring sound of the feathers beating together.

I left the nest until the chick had fledged but I then moved it in the autumn. Inside was a perfect blackbirds egg, one that hadn't hatched.

I kept that nest as it was so perfect. It was amazing to see how it had been formed around the birds body and all the materials it had used.
these are some recent collage and acrylic paintings that were inspired by that wonderful construction.

Painted with acrylics onto fabric that has been layered with wax capturing stems of lavender in the wax surface.

Painted onto watercolour paper using collage and acrylics and various things to make marks like oil pastels. Maps have been used in the collage layers.

Puppets

Ok, I know, people find puppets scary, but at least there is a definite reaction when looking at the artwork! I have used the vintage Pelham puppets well known from my childhood and have started drawing the puppets.

I wanted there to be a dialogue between the puppets in the image but also to convey moods and emotions that are not so easily expressed.
Watch a child talk to a puppet and you will see that they do communicate quite well, try to forget all the horror movies with dolls and marionettes in..if you can!

These paintings have been quite labour intensive as I have built up layers of vintage fabrics using a wax capture technique. I have first prepared the substrate by using collected embroidered tablecloths and other fabrics and have bonded them together with wax capture. Just using finely grated wax with an iron.

I have enjoyed building up the layers to create a dialogue and symbolism of the layering of memory and  emotions from childhood.

These surfaces are then developed with an oil painting.
I love the texture and the feel of the oil paint on the waxy surface and have been enjoying collecting 70's style fabrics to embellish the theme of layers of buried memory.

Oil on canvas

With the canvas paintings I was looking to create a dialogue between the two puppets and worked in a more straightforward way with oil on canvas.

I was more outside of my comfort zone here as I usually work onto textured surfaces and so it was more crucial to create the surface texture I wanted visually with the paint.

I get very mixed reactions to this one as it is quite big.

Small work on paper

Small work on paper.
June 20

Working in a more automatic and free way without using photographs, just responding to the collage and mark making then working into the result with layers and transparencies.

All acrylic on watercolour paper and oil pastel.

Some recent painting, acrylics and collage

Recent painting
July 2020

During the Lockdown I have had more time to work on my art but I haven't been able to go to the studio until recent relaxing of the Covid guidelines.
It has been great to get back into it and I have found myself working in a kind of spurt again.

I have been working on collage and acrylic painting.
Trying to internalise the images of the corroded wood and abstracting rather than copying the photographs.

I have worked onto collage as a substrate and built up layers of paint using transparencies

1, Acrylic paint on collage

Detail (1)

2, Acrylic paint on collage.

3, Acrylic paint on collage, watercolour paper.

Detail, (2)

Detail (2)

Detail (2)

                                                                  Detail (2)

4, Acrylic paint on collage

Detail (4)