My painting practise explores the materiality of oil and acrylic paint, with specified investigations into the nuances and language of colour. I present this through abstraction, which rejects the confines of representation, and instead embraces the material concerns of paint as the focus of the work. The process of making is integral to my practise – in fact it is the work.  I approach colour and gesture with a blend of intuitive and informed decision-making, often manipulating the paint by heavily thinning it with solvents or water. This method grants me control over the medium to construct layers that can be selectively revealed and merged through tactile interactions with cloths, sponges, and my hands.

 

Initially, my exploration of abstraction relied on form and shape to investigate colour. I experimented with abstracted iterations of circular and natural forms, aiming to present varied hues and shades, as reflected in untitled 2023. Seeking to investigate colour further, I trialled new methods to incorporate organic shapes into my paintings using screenprinting [1]. This technique offered instant reproduction and allowed me to experiment with different interactions between colours. Drawing inspiration from the works of Hilma af Klint [2], I utilised various coloured sheets of paper, working with blue, green, pink, and yellow, layering multiple colours on top of each other. Concurrently, I worked on paper [3] using charcoal, oil pastels and soft pastels, which gradually loosened the shapes into freer and sporadic gestures, translating into larger paintings. These trials proved to be invaluable tools, playing significant components in the progression of my painting practise.  

 

As I began to explore new techniques and expand my research, Cecily Brown was a notable influence. Her abstract paintings, characterised by chaotic richness, evoke memory and narrative through expressive brushwork and layered compositions. Drawing on these elements, I incorporated similar approaches into these are just places to me now (October 2023).  Working in layers became integral to my process; I alternated between allowing layers of oil paint to dry and experimenting with painting onto wet surfaces or wiping away colour. This technique yielded diverse textures and depths, creating a dynamic visual experience. The layering also produced a "washed" effect, especially pronounced in the middle, imparting an ethereal quality to the piece. Underlying bold colours and heavier brushstrokes peak through, contrasting against the white layer. By switching between large and small paintbrushes, I could adjust my precision and control. The white centre emerged as a focal point, accentuating surrounding colours and gestures, drawing viewers deeper into the composition.

 

Additionally, I sought to refine my exploration of colour and decided to experiment with raw canvas [4]. While accustomed to diluting oil paint with solvents like linseed oil or white spirit on primed surfaces, I was intrigued by how colour would interact when heavily diluted on an unprimed surface. As the oil paint seeped into the raw canvas, I noticed a significant shift in the behaviour and predictability of the paint. This shift in physicality also altered the colours themselves as they integrated into the raw canvas. This strengthened my understanding of the properties and materiality of oil paint, becoming an important part of my painting process. Simultaneously, I was reading Amy Sillman’s book ‘Faux Pas’, which became a contextually foundational text into my inquiry. Sillman’s focus on process and the materiality of colour resonated with my artistic concerns, challenging academic conventions, and emphasising that “colour is a material” [5] inseparable from form. 

 

Sillman’s insights, alongside my own investigations, highlighted that colour is the fundamental language within my paintings. This guided my approach in creating gentle on my mind and gentle on my mind n0.2 (February 2024), where I concentrated on layering depths and shades.  Particularly, the heaviness of the blue, which bought itself forward differently to conventional foregrounded blues, demonstrating how colour determined form, and form obeyed colour. However, group crits highlighted a tendency among viewers to interpret my paintings through representations. This prompted me to reduce my colour palette further to investigate specific hues. Additionally, after experiencing Yoko Matsumoto’s paintings first-hand [6], which explore light, shadow, and hue in such depth, I was inspired to fully reject representational constraints in my work. Consequently, my latest paintings embrace this direction by adopting a more monochromatic palette.

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Footnotes 

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[1] Refer to ‘test’ section of website.

[2] Informed by Tate Modern’s exhibition HILMA AF KLINT & PIET MONDRIANFORMS OF LIFE, visited in August 2023.

[3] Refer to ‘test’ section of website.

[4] Refer to ‘test’ section of website.

[5] Sillman, Amy. 2022. Amy Sillman: Faux Pas: Selected Writings and Drawings. After 8 Books.

[6] Seen in Yoko Matsumoto (2024) at White Cube Mason’s Yard, visited in March 2024.