I make paintings that reference pictorial qualities associated with landscapes and sometimes portraits, but with no conscious intension to do so. They all seem like simplified versions of something else, or partially covered versions. I’m interested in surface tension, build up of paint, covering over, a notion of grittiness or crudely applied but with elements of tidying up or cleaning involved. But cleaning as in painting over, or sweeping under the carpet, not bothering to remove wallpaper before redecorating. There’s nothing clean about these works on closer inspection, but they do seem to give that impression, almost like a deception. I think the works are full of oxymorons and I can definitely see a series forming.
