Dates: 14 October – 06 November 2014

“To barely begin; to see or do only a fraction of what is possible.” Sic

Scratching the Surface marks the beginning of a new exploration for me; both technically and conceptually. This is the first time I have exhibited a body of work, since I began this journey.

For quite some time, I have been playing and obsessing with layers; in life and on the physical surface of a painting. The works on this show reveal my attempts to get at what lies beneath the first layer of things – literally trying to “scratch through”. The confounding and enticing nature of layers, though, is that as soon as one breaks through the surface of one layer, one is confronted with yet another layer. In these paintings I am playing with creating and then destroying them, only to create new layers.

I’m interested in how we live on the planet; how we interact with each other, how we love, grieve, grow up, grow old and what we remember. I’m interested in the sensations attached to being human and have needed to develop a language, through painting, that can describe these sensations. I am fascinated by small moments that might go unnoticed, but, when examined, hold beauty, emotion, history and meaning that stretch endlessly below the surface.

I try to work both deliberately and intuitively. I am very interested in the relationship between abstract and figurative elements in painting and am constantly trying to find ways of bringing the two together, without imposing one on the other. It’s a tricky and enticing game that I feel I am only beginning to scratch the surface of.