'The Lie Of The Land'

Recent painting 'Night Trunking' and 'Depot' at Artrix Arts Centre, Bromsgrove, Jan 2016

Earlier in the year, in January, I held an exhibition of my lorry paintings I called, ‘The Lie Of The Land’ at the Artrix Arts Centre in Bromsgrove. 

 

The venue proved a bit more limited than I remembered, having shown work here before in 2006, but I’m pleased to say the paintings were received really well.    

'Depot' and 'Depot 2'

The more ambiguous images of ‘Depot’ and ‘Depot 2’ (above) seemed to appeal most favourably, which is why I think I want to develop this side of things further, but also the use of colour in ‘Depot 2’, which looked quite apart from the others, seemed to get people excited. I have a good understanding of colour that I don’t think I have been pushing very far in recent years, so this has resolved me to again, set myself new challenges with this in the coming months. 

 'The Machine', oil on canvas, 2015

This painting, ‘The Machine’, also seemed to be very popular in the show in the ‘portraits’ (for that is what I think they are) of different vehicles represented. My friend and fellow artist, Andrew Smith, thought they were self-portraits, and I think there is probably a great deal of truth in that, as we have discussed our feelings of how pointless it all seems sometimes, something I’ve been really feeling in recent months since my show in Sheffield, but how one is still driven to do it. My other artist friend, Hugh Marwood, wrote a great blog post about the exhibition here:

http://hughmarwood.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/shaun-morris-by-way-at-artrix-bromsgrove.html

which I was very grateful to read. Hugh, Andrew and I are currently looking for venues to hold a three-hander group show later in the year, which I’m really excited about. I think I have found the perfect space this week too. 

 

'Study For The Machine', 'The Lay-By', and 'The Wait'

 

'Cargo', 'Under The Bridge', 'The Yard 2', and 'The Machine'

The portraits are something I’m still keen to develop further too, believing the different vehicles can possess a symbolic, and almost poetic, quality and character of their own which has the power to move. I have just finished this one based on a Road Sweeper (though seeing those last two sentences written down together does seem a bit odd, I know). 

 

'The Road Sweeper', oil on canvas, 2016