These works continue my tradition of exploring the human figure in a variety of guises and environments. In past paintings I have almost exclusively painted myself in similar environments but in recent paintings I have chosen to use my children as my models.

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My mandate for this series of works was to use my children as serious painterly subject matter, whilst attempting to avoid the possibility that they may appear kitsch. I did this by using an illustrative approach to my technique as well as using simple props and painting them in wild and remote places to give a sense of mystery and emotion. The challenge then was to capture them purely as figures in a landscape or environment without the image appearing saccharine.

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Although I am not an illustrator I recognise with appreciation the virtuoso skill, freedom and overwhelming variety of imagery that illustrators create. Researching illustrative works over many years has inspired in me ways in which to bring that virtuosity into my work. Rather I am a figurative painter and cannot imagine a painting without a figure in it. However the figure to my mind must occupy or be part of a space or an environment. I rarely paint the figure as portrait.

 

The completed painting needs to be a short story or part of a story in which something imminent is about to happen or has happened. It is this sense of unpredictability that I try to capture with all of my works. I use props and unusual environments to set the stage and set the figure at odds within this space. The final summary of the contents of the painting is up to the viewer.

 

It is my habit to avoid paintings that are layered with political meaning but rather to make paintings that are impulsive and spontaneous. I gather together several images to combine them as a painting. Ultimately they are like a single frame in a movie. One does not know what came before and likewise one does not know what the outcome may be. They are short stories. There is no intent to manufacture a recognisable story, rather an opportunity for the viewer to decide for themselves what it all means. They impose their own stories and all opinions are many and varied.