A Mirror of the Soul

Forest Landscape, 2020, Acrylic on canvas, 100 x 150 cm (39.3 x 59 in), SOLD

"Whistler opened the eyes of artists... 

Painting is... the harmony of beauty."

Hayashi Tadamasa

A few days ago marked six years since applying the final touches to Forest Landscape. My unexpected success at my last exhibition prompted me to re-evaluate why I experienced sadness upon parting with Forest Landscape.

Firstly, I still cannot believe the incredible luck of receiving the two commissions from my client just before the coronavirus pandemic hit, plunging the world into the first lockdown. It still feels as if they were meant to come when they did. I found Forest Landscape much more to my liking than the other commission because it really challenged me as an artist. In a way it felt as if the canvas acted as a teacher pushing me to really develop and learn as an artist.

At the beginning the enormous blank canvas was off putting and acted as a mirror of my fear of making mistakes and so making me hesitate to make the first stroke. The canvas taught "critical" lessons during the process; confrontation with fear, boundaries (forcing me to learn composition), freedom can lead to chaos, but the canvas does not lie to the artist because it reflects the effects of an artist's technique (thereby prompting self-improvement) and to react to what is actually happening on the surface. Finally the canvas taught me the most important critical lesson; a canvas acts as a record of an artist's personal growth.

Forest Landscape has created long lasting memories but has also impacted my journey as an artist. My palette dramatically redeveloped and brightened drawing inspiration from Van Gogh while combining it with a contemporary style - reflecting a more serious minded personality. My redeveloped palette generated my belief that artistic talent and human emotional maturity run parallel to each other.

I am certainly no Van Gogh and I do not see myself becoming a new age version of him. Nevertheless the way Van Gogh profoundly projected empathy into his work to reach out to others and his desire to comfort humanity has been major influences on this painting and other work following that.

The most significant lesson I learned from Forest Landscape is that landscape paintings are not about documenting a geographical record but transforming scenery into a mirror and a reflection of the human soul. Now when I look at Forest Landscape, I realise I projected the following onto the painting; new found maturity, new found confidence, the redeveloped palette and determination to find beauty and harmony despite the strange times during the lockdown. In a way my emotional connection during the process of painting inspired the choice of colour palette. I applied the impasto technique and decided to give the trees and leaves a human soul. The thing was I had to stay at home during the first lockdown but once I made my mark on the canvas it really felt like escaping into a harmonious sanctuary of beauty and hope.

In conclusion the reason why I was saddened to part with Forest Landscape was because it felt like losing a comforting companion during the lockdown. Creating the painting from scratch and using strong vibrant colours blocked out the noises of the lockdown. So it felt like escaping into another world despite the constrains of the lockdown.

Overall parting with Forest Landscape felt like a colourful season coming to an end. All seasons inevitably end but memories and experiences last forever and comfort the human soul.

A Tragic Division

Eden Divided, 2016, Oil on linen, 40 x 60 cm (Diptych)

What was initially meant to explore one aspect of Walpole Autumn (see below) turned into another idea weaving past and present together.

Walpole Autumn, 2015, Oil on linen, 21 x 30 cm

Eden Divided draws inspiration from Frank Auerbach who reinterpreted Biblical themes from traditional paintings - with the use of abstraction. I have never done a diptych before and this new idea drew inspiration from a magazine, from which I became interested in the diptych of the tree. Although Eden Divided can be seen as one piece it could also be seen as separate realities since the composition continues on the sides. What was initially meant to be another tree transformed into a serpent - the timeless symbol of evil. 

This diptych is a response to how conflict and injustice causes crises and division today and that sometimes nature is destroyed by greed. It is my personal belief that everyone has an ongoing duty to be stewards of the Earth today.

I am not retelling the Garden of Eden story but responding to what happens - when some people today abuse their free will and choose to cause destruction rather than fulfilling their duty to be stewards of the Earth, so we all have a chance of being reunited with Eden. 

Next exhibition

Culture and Heritage

Lost in the Procession, 2014, Oil on canvas, 63 x 77 cm

Lost in the Procession was a response to a local chariot procession and drew inspiration from Selfie. I wanted to contrast the beautiful figure (the main subject of the painting) and the crowd depicted as lines, blurs and nothingness. Additionally her attention otherwise beautifully expressed is drawn away by her music she listens to (note her ear plugs).

While painting this, I did a quick study of the Sassoon Piece (see painting below) to link to the Hand study: Object of Desire paintings. My maternal grandfather Franc Stewart Gumley worked in several countries including India and China and carried it around with him throughout the world. This painting gave me the opportunity to explore form and shape in depth.

Object of Desire: Sassoon Piece, 2014, Oil on linen, 40 x 30 cm

Object of Desire

 Hand study: Temptation 1, 2014, Oil on canvas, 19 x 35.5 cm 

Recently I have explored J.M.W Turner's work through visiting Late Turner: Painting Set Free. I am inspired by the way he reflected upon historic/contemporary events and sometimes contrasted past and present.

While painting Fading and Selfie I worked through some studies, which gave me the opportunity to explore hands and human form in depth. Additionally it gave me the chance to understand the idea of 'Object of Desire' before incorporating it into Fading and Selfie.

Both Hand study: Temptation 1 and Fading contrast the Apple from the Story of Creation and the phone, now so often connected with an iPhone with it's iconic logo of an apple with a bite. Both the physical apple and logo are timeless symbols of temptation - an ever present challenge to human society from Eden to silicon valley and beyond.

Hand study: Temptation 2, 2014, Oil on canvas, 19 x 35.5 cm

Multiple perspectives...

Fading, 2014, Oil on canvas, 70 x 60 cm

Selfie, 2014, Oil on canvas, 70 x 90 cm

These paintings draw inspiration from the methodology of They Prepare to Play (a show, which was part of the MFA course in which we set ideas from Hamlet in the present). Outside my practice I am interested in the ancient world - Greek mythology in particular. I find researching paintings and ideas from the past both fascinating and rewarding.

These paintings set the story of Narcissus in the present. Fading is about the contemporary Narcissus fixated with his phone while his hand is marble white referencing his eventual transformation in the original story. The colours on his clothes are gradually fading and he is fading away into his surroundings as a consequence of his self absorption and vanity. This is how the world sees him. On the other hand Selfie is about how the figure sees the world. Although this focuses on the same story as in Fading this time the contemporary Narcissus is placed in a setting surrounded by a crowd.

This gave me the opportunity to revisit abstraction while trying to create another perspective. This setting was inspired by the town centre near the Bentalls Centre; where there are some shops selling 'Objects of Desire' and phones. Interestingly the paved area with fish provided inspiration for the pool (where Narcissus falls in love with his reflection). 

Time and time again I have seen some people post selfies on social networks including Facebook and Instagram - which has influenced these paintings. Here the figure is depicted as realistic whereas the crowd have been distorted into abstract gestural lines, blurs and nothingness. They do not matter to the figure; the only things, which are real to him are himself and his object of desire...

These paintings deal with greed and how it can sometimes take us over, distract us and take our attentions away from real people. We do now as in the past give into temptation - sometimes without any concern for the effect this would have on other people. Additionally the paintings explore how materialism is an endless desire. It made me ask, 'How long does the pleasure that a material object gives a person last for?' These paintings drew inspiration from St Paul was a tent maker by weaving past and present together while reflecting upon some issues in contemporary society.

EAG 99th Annual Exhibition

Lost in the Procession on display at Pitzhanger Manor Gallery