About

I am an artist and writer, living and working in the ancient market town of Saffron Walden (close to Cambridge) in the UK.

 

I paint mostly using acrylics, in a style that might be called pseudo-realism. I don’t want to replicate objects precisely, with the perfectly observed brush-strokes of the photo-realist, but I do want to share the revelations of shape, colour and texture that come from studying them closely.

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It's black, all black…

It's hard to miss the fact that I like to paint with a plain black background. Although this came about accidentally, it now feels like a decision I can justify easily: to me the subjects of the painting are (or should be) more than enough to keep the eye occupied, without the need for background clutter.

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But it's also true to say that painting with so much black brings major challenges. In particular, it sways the tonal balance of the work, such that painting shadows using ivory or even mars black (something hugely frowned upon by most professional artists) becomes the only option with sufficient depth and impact.

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The bigger picture

These paintings can take far longer to complete than anyone would imagine. But it's not just down to my style or technique. Without exception, every painting goes through to a strange. almost mystical process of revelation that seems impossible to short-circuit. Each new day brings a gradually evolving appreciation of the source image that undermines the work of the previous day, as part of a process that only ends when you decide you've had enough. 

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This artistic journey has undeniable echoes of ideas I am obsessed with in the wider world, namely chaos theory and fractal patterns. One tiny observation can cause a radical change to a painting that almost seems complete, just as chaos theory predicts; and even when images do not show obvious signs of fractality (such as can be seen in the scales of a pangolin), there is always some form of perfectly imperfect pattern, hiding just below the surface.

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It is also a journey that can be categorised as part meditation, part inspiration and part infuriation. Nothing can replicate the breathtaking beauty and complexity of the smallest, most (seeming) insignificant creature, let alone surpass it. Attempting to capture some 'truth' about the natural world exposes you to a perpetual sense of inadequacy, yet it remains a challenge that's impossible to resist.

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Fractals, chaos theory and other ideas on a range of subjects, including developments on the edges of life and consciousness, are explored further in my blog.