A struggle. Whilst working I have a conversation going on in my head. There is a part of my engagement with the work that tries to remain simply visual. Words encroach when I feel satisfied, or question progress. The painting is a kind of conversation.
This painting I am not happy with. It refers back to work that I did as a student. I am continuing with it because I have to, to see where it leads. It is a break with my figurative work, prompted in part by my experiences in trying to exhibit, and by my engagement with this site. I am in a sense going back to a beginning. The work looks laboured. It will not succeed, if ever, until the elements engage energetically, or much of it is shed to leave only what is essential. I don’t mind either way as long as I can move on. Andrew Bryant asked of himself ‘What am I interested in?’ When I feel that there is no more to be done, I have found what I was interested in. Perhaps there are some of us who can answer that question only upon reflection.
