The Far Field

oil on canvas, 60 x 80cms, 2020

I spent some time in the late afternoon cleaning up all my brushes after what has been an intense few weeks continuing to work on these paintings based on nearby fields between the town and the motorway. I’ve now made thirteen, of various sizes, with some more larger recent ones.  I see them very much as works in progress as each one I make often has me going back to a previous painting to re-think and re-paint different areas. 

oil on canvas, 120 x 164cms, 2020

I’m enjoying making them but I realised last night as I finished the latest one (above), exhausted, that I feel like I’m creating them with a lot of nervous energy- I mean it seems a bit crazy to have made thirteen in about four weeks- and I seem even more driven than usual. There is also something rather unexpected and a bit unsettling about them that seems to have emerged and that is when I look at the pylons in the paintings I just feel that I am looking at myself and I’m not sure what that’s all about. 

oil on canvas, 75 x 50cms, 2020

I was watching a video lecture by painter Wolf Kahn the other day, who has been a bit of an influence on my approach to painting the trees and hedgerows, where he stated as a painter that 'to know what you are doing is wrong. It's much better to not know what you are doing'. I have to agree and it was a point of view that really chimed with me the other day and a reminder of certain values that come in and out of focus.

oil on canvas, 80 x 100cms, 2020

Kahn was influenced by his teachings by Abstract Expressionist Hans Hoffman and this movement’s interest in working from the subconscious mind. Although I have spent years working to avoid psychological readings of my work, when it comes to my landscape work I think there’s no running away from it. 

2012- This Much I Know...

At the end of 2012, this much I know….

I’d prefer to define myself as a painter than an artist.

I only really enjoy painting: appreciating it, doing it, learning about it (and some sculpture). Most contemporary art has little interest for me, despite continued attempts to engage with it over the years. But that seems a fair position. It’s like expecting a football fan to like all sports other than his beloved football.

There is great value in working in a specialized field like painting. It’s important to measure yourself against and understand it’s traditions and history, while avoiding being too reactionary. It seems to have more value than floating around the abundance of choices available to the contemporary artist who inevitably ends up not really having a deep relationship with anything. You do not find any other type of artist, such as writers, film-makers, or poets working like this. There is so little time to do it all!

I’ve learned more about painting in the art criticism of contemporary Welsh painter Merlin James than anyone else.

It’s ok to use photographs to support my own painting.

The influence of Gerhard Richter’s paintings from photographs really get in the way of most modern painters exploration of the relationship between photography and painting. If you want to learn more about the possibilities of photography and painting you would be best to look at an artist like Walter Sickert. He was much more creative and forward thinking.

Richter’s lack of compassion is rather sad and poses many problems in contemporary painting not found in art forms such as literature, theatre and film.

Working in collaboration has stretched and challenged me much more than working on my own. I would like to do more of it in 2013.

I feel I work in a very narrow way most of the time, yet I continue to find myself in new and unexpected situations. And that is just when I walk through the studio door. 

The fact that it is not an embarrassment to me that most paintings I’ve made this year are inspired by the mood evoked in a Bruce Springsteen song  says much about my love and respect for the man and his music.

‘Wrecking Ball’ by Springsteen is probably my album of the year. Bruce live at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester is definitely my gig of the year.

I’ve got my tickets for Bruce at Coventry Ricoh Stadium in June 2013. You should too.

I love Bob Dylan’s music with a passion, but I didn’t understand the fuss about this year’s ‘Tempest’ album (and who does those dreadful sleeves? The same artist that sourced Bob’s China paintings on Flikr?)

My experience in Norway taught me to always listen to people, especially when you can’t hear them speaking

My experience in Denmark with my friends reminded me to keep taking risks. More importantly they reminded that it’s not the small things that matter, just the details...

I hope that this doesn’t read too much like something I may have found in a Christmas cracker this season….but I feel like it does!

 Happy New Year!