“Us”

Inspiration

This painting was inspired by the rhythm and flow of life and the beauty of how people journey through it together. Using the swallows to represent a group of people, my intention was to depict the wonder of relationships and how, united, we become something so much more complex and dynamic than ourselves. We become part of an ever-changing pattern of life, responding to each other and forming bonds that move and shape to the beat of our world.

This painting was poured freestyle onto a blank, primed linen canvas. It was made in layers over the period of a week. The first layer of black, inky mix was poured from an open-neck bottle to form the foundation layer. This is essentially the initial sketch, but no pencils were used. The process of pouring is contactless, which embraces the forces of gravity and invites energy and life into the composition. I guide the ink to where I want it to go and welcome the unplanned marks that come along!

Subsequent layers are where colour is introduced, through a combination of pouring, dripping, and splashing from pipettes, and blowing inks and washes over the surface of the canvas. I also used genuine gold and silver leaf in the piece, which works beautifully to catch the light as it moves across the painting throughout the day.

The textured nature of this painting, combined with the mix of gloss and matte effects, means that natural and artificial light interplay with the overall look. This painting will glow differently at different times of the day – resplendent equally at sunrise and sunset.