The beauty of process

As a full time artist having on-going projects is something I'm used to managing. I have always been a big believer and devotee in the process of the work, rather than making the end product the principal focus. There have been times in the past where I've found my work far too restrictive and over whelming fixating on the outcome before having started to enjoy the momentum. There are still many paintings I have yet to complete.

Getting lost in the flow of a painting or illustration is my favourite artistic state to be. I find with drawing from life and commissions it's important not to get caught up in cataloguing or identifying too much with whats in front of me. Mapping out rough lines in pencil to suggest the overall composition really helps. With more illustrative work, I find that drawing and ideas tend to appear in this simular method. Spending time to enjoy creating characters or doodling in an unstructured way. Sometimes I need to get out of the house and let my brain simmer by engaging with the world around me. I love people watching and seeing how we communicate with one another in this face paced world. Mannerisms and conversations always fascinate me, we pick up so much more when we disconnect ourselves somehow and just see. The invisible cloak feeling.

With most, if not all of my originals I cover the paper in hundreds of brush strokes around the edges as a way of deciphering over what colours I’m using, while testing them out as I mix. Its an accidental habit which once i’ve finished I always appreciate looking it. Seeing the rough expressive colours surrounding a conceptual idea or painting, like a visual colour palette diary around the piece. Colours are so vital with my work, creating nuances and surprising myself half way through painting something is such a beautiful discovery and can change the finished result in multiple ways. Much of why I've working organically and painting.

Childrens poster design for charity in response to the pandemic.