What stories are hidden within the walls that we call home?
I’ve always loved the visual clues around us that hint at the passing of time and give clues to the events that have taken place in a setting. Think chipped paint work, peeling wallpaper, rust, weathering, etc.
A little under two years ago I was working in the studio just playing and creating gelli plate prints; attempting to recreate the appearance of rust and chipped paintwork. This period of experimentation coincided with a major event in my personal life, the breakdown of my marriage. It was difficult as life was suddenly full of uncertainty and change. During this time I naturally began to reflect on all the events that had led to that point.
The links between my studio experiments and my own self reflection became obvious and the idea for a series exploring this was born. Although it was a little while before I actually started working on the idea!
When I eventually began painting the series life still felt quite uncertain and the early layers of the paintings reflected this. They were quite dark and sombre in mood. These beginning layers consisted of old text, handwritten notes, significant magazine articles and some of the gelli plate prints I’d created.
As I adapted to the changes in life a new, positive mindset took over. My life felt more free and I was full of joy, love and hope for the future. Naturally these feelings started to spill over into my work and although the colour palette remained the same, I found myself mixing brighter shades and adding more areas of light to the pieces. The paintings took on a much more positive, hopeful feel just as I had.