I am particularly interested in exploring the line in painting between realism and abstraction, seeking an expression of the world that is dictated, not just by what's in front of me, but by an emotional or poetic expression of colour and brushwork at times unrelated to 'reality'. This exhibition has been a chance to explore some key interests which may seem at first to be diametrically opposed but which, when played off against each other, can lead to interesting oppositions - line versus soft edges, realism versus abstraction, detail versus sketchiness. 

While still drawn to the interior and all its intimacy, the subject almost came secondary to the painterly exploration of colour and pattern. Finding the balance between an emotional truth and a literal one, is for me greatly dependent on the process of painting itself. The slow build up of paint layers allows an element of chance to emerge and for the painting itself to dictate the required direction of the composition, enabling me to distance myself from the obligation of a literal rendering of the subject and make choices about colour and composition for their own sake.

My process adapts classical painting techniques to facilitate my interest in colour and abstraction. Beginning with a linear underpainting in ultramarine blue on a smooth chalk ground in pink provides me with an initial framework which echoes the role of the tonal underpainting employed in the classical tradition but with a heavy emphasis on colour and line rather than tone. The vibration between warm and cool in the underpainting and a strong linear design allow me to consider abstract compositional concepts early on which can then be built on in subsequent layers, sometimes showing through in the final painting and other times buried under the softness of subsequent layers of paint.

Following this, a colour block stage establishes broad colour relationships and introduces soft edges and a sense of atmosphere over the initial linear design. From here I can pick and choose areas to be worked up and leave other ambiguous or 'unfinished'.

This slow build up of layers allows the painting a chance to develop in sometimes surprising directions, the later decisions informed by the earlier ones, and ultimately aims to allow room for the abstract concerns of colour, pattern and brushwork that I so love in the likes of Matisse, Vuillard and Bonnard.

As referenced in the title of the show, this body of work embraces and celebrates colour!