Roblog: Painting for my Life...

« spinning the plates | Main | Opera to Punk Karaoke »

September 29, 2005

Painting for my Life...

Being quite on the blog usually means one of two things: either I am very down and dont want to write anything, or I am extraordinarily busy. Fortunately, it is the latter and in the last week or so I managed to spent a good deal of my spare time down the studio. I am work to three deadlines which all come at the same time for Christmas shows. I think now that I have got over my Oxford hang ups and have now embraced the visual world I am inhabited. I have been in a sort of manic faze where I seem to have a lot of clarity about what I can do. My time is limited and so the urgency has been even greater and now I feel like I am painting for my life. Which is actually a lovely feeling (while it lasts). I have been looking for ways to make Oxford my jungle inhabited by cats and birds instead of wild animals - as my response to Rosseau. Cats have not really featured in my work fo many years as they became quite cute-sy. I am living with a cat and a cat lover and it all makes sense to me now once again. The other theme I have got to do is the ‘Human Condition’, for the Scottish Gallery. I am always telling students not to say that there work is about the ‘human condition’ as it is such a cliche and that all art is about the that really.. Oh well, will have to bite my lip on that one.

Below are a selection of studies, drawings and mostly un finished paintings I have been working on. Having my entire art book collection down the studio has actually helped alot as it is nice to ponder over some heroes while i take a break..