Virtual Exhibition Page 2 (in progress)
The Theatre, Leatherhead, Surrey, UK.
7th June 2005 until 10th July 2005.

Ground floor (extra large)
The End of the Seventies (1998)
Originally a commission for an energy conference for the people who made those really annoying adverts with the chap jogging by his tumble dryer etc, they requested something green on the theme of partnerships in energy efficiency, so I thought nodding ducks not donkeys, wind farms at sea, Hunterwasser,etc... Unfortunately they were fossil-fuelled and seemed to want to put the responsibility on the consumer, half a kettle / lagging etc. The day before the conference they cancelled. Later that day, a visitor at the studio requested a picture of a church bleeding, i decided to work the piece on the floor. I got the background blue and red down but had

used my energy too efficiently in the application of paint and four blue puddles formed. These took a few days and a few helpful tilts to dry. These puddle marks seemed to complete the painting. Keith commented the feel of it was seventies, much of which I spent hurtling down our steep road on a skateboard with all the other kids. It does remind me of my childhood sensibilities, a naivety and hope that got stomped on in the 80's.

Upstairs Bar (left to right) ...
Family (2005)
The newest piece here, my brother has had an equally rough year and helping him has helped me from my own depressions. Here with his 3 kids, worked up from a 5 min oil sketch, this looked nice and fresh in the studio (I'm often criticised for overworking pictures). I feel it shows weakly beside these earlier large canvases. My thoughts are to do some more small oil portraits of other family members and add them much in the same way as the different landscape elements of 'Time Off for Good Behaviour' (3 along to the right). I may pop in and work on this during the show, so please, no touching, as it's still wet!!

Entering Extinction (1993)
Degree painting, possibly a cretaceous landscape (after Jurassic), this painting searches for an earlier paradise unknowing of imminent doom, as a parallel to the environmental problems of toady. It refers also to my own sadness and the sunless future I was facing after my student love paradise fell apart. It was this personal disaster that got me back on track as a painter.

The Lord of the Rings (1995-9)
A book I first read over a summer when I was 15, this tryptich started life as a diptych and single on an Orpheus theme at my previous studio (1995), Frodo's adventure was my first project (1997) at my present studio. Defining elements of the story whilst listening to the radio-play, I still wanted the viewer to be able to experience their own stories and imagination within the piece in much the same way as we experience a book / radio-play for ourselves, in contrast to films, where we are passive. This is often the case with my paintings when I tend to abstract, I know what is included, but applying the paint more freely allows for happy accidents (drips / splatters) that add their own unconscious level of narration. Technically, I wanted each panel to work in isolation and as a part in the whole. This I achieved with

the centre panel, am almost there with the left panel, but the right (misty marshes into Mordor) never stood alone well, so I consider this piece still in progress (making it a 10 year old) even though I haven't painted or felt in the right mode to paint on it for over 4 years now. Maybe framing it for this show has completed it...

Time Off for Good Behaviour (2003)
Summer Holiday 2003. This one started life as a re-cycled canvas out of the studio bins. Easter that year my partner and I broke-up. I started a bitter-sweet memory painting of her great-aunt's village in France, where I had hoped we would one day live. Luckily, we were back together within the month and that summer had wonderful adventures from Holland to the Pyrenees. The sad painting developed into a happy one, with a change in viewpoint of the village and the addition of places we had been, from small paintings made on the holiday. The title came more obscurely recently...I am showing work at a Hurstpierpoint gallery that specialises in Prisoner Art; previously a friend had asked my partner on first meeting if she was a policewoman (why, I dont know), and the blank square canvas bottom right with her reading in a blue lounger does look like a symbolised police form -

with a blue light on a white box. This painting summarises the best bits of three years we were together... but nowadays I'm back in solitary.

The Return of the Housemartins (2005)
I have always found red paintings (when done well) some of my favourites, though personally I find red very difficult to work over large areas. I particularly wanted something new for this show that would run parallel to my degree show 12 years earlier, but this time in red. Anyways, Johnny T. passed-by in his new red camper on his

way to Southern France. He brought his new love with him (a Fender Telecaster). In abstract again, I see a guitar-like shape emerging unintentionally in the blue and orange below the sunrise (itself taken from a large painting of 1989), with the red windows as the bit of the instrument that has the twist nobs to tighten the strings. Also, the Housemartins have returned from South Africa recently (top right).

Black Circle (2000)
From 'Black' phase 1999-2000. Nocturnal elf/monk/ghost ?? Am trying here for simplicity of form.

Red Circle (2005)
Another new attempt at red, still in it's early stages. I decided on round paintings for the stairs, this will be a companion piece to the circle on the lower stairs, again a 'wet' warning...

Blue Circle (2005)
In progress / finished ?? Possibly I will introduce an element of clear sky at the very top, maybe not. There is something I like about this one that reminds me of my mid-90's work. Round paintings are easier when thinking compositionally, because the focus is already set, just avoid the middle...

Very top of stairs...
Large Self Portrait (1999)
I am often nocturnal. This painting arrived in a flash one early morning after my most productive night's work ever, during which I produced a series of ten skull paintings on slate, two or three small self-portraits, and another equally large painting of Meriel. If only every night/day were as productive!