Let's Talk Art Blog

Looking back at a finished piece, I often peer at marks and overlays of colour and think, 'How did I do that?' or 'Why did I do that?.' A feeling of dissociation comes over me as I realise I don't remember making those marks or adding that glaze, or the sequence of actions that created that result. Where was my brain when I was doing all of that?

The exhibition is the coming together of artists wanting to explore their connection with colour and how they use it to respond to the world, express emotion and cultural identity and will include prints, photographs, sculpture, jewellery and woodwork and is a celebration of some of our region’s most talented emerging and established artists.

If you're a creative you'll be familiar with the fear and excitement of staring at a blank canvas. The possibilities seem endless, but where do you start? I have no plan when I start a new work, I just know that the need to create is strong and urgent. I begin a piece with what looks like incoherent mark making, to energise the canvas and begin a dialogue with the surface. This immediately creates the opportunity to start to making decisions and consider preferences.

This piece was a challenge as I wanted to explore working on a smaller scale. My usual preference for canvas size is twice the size of this piece. I find larger work more engaging physically which creates a momentum and energy of its own. 'Inhabit' has a stillness about it which I think was dictated by the need to remain physically still in order to focus and apply paint in a controlled way.

Sometimes it's good to put away the colour for a day and work in monochrome. I find it's a great way to focus on mark making, explore values and just play and sketch without thinking about the outcome - all kinds of good things can happen when you least expect it!

See how this painting evolved. I photograph my work as I go, partly to do a value check here and there and partly so I can revisit decisions and see if I have made the right one in terms of moving the work forwards. And yes, sometimes I feel as though I'm going backwards, but I get there in the end!