Following on from my large paper collages combined with paint, I have moved on for a bit to working on small archival pieces of paper. I was given a small bundle of these a few years ago when I did a demo as part of the Discerning Eye exhibition in the Mall Galleries.
Firstly I created different coloured grounds on these surfaces and then set about collaging shapes I had cut out from a magazine onto them. So far I have played with oil, acrylic and watercolour paint as well as ink when mark making on top of and alongside the collage. I work pretty fast on them, painting instinctively. In other words, there is no plan apart from exploring the interactions between the painted ground, collage and layered mark making. It’s quite exciting coming back the next day after working on them the day before, as I am always surprised by what I see. It feels very fresh and open. I’d like to work back into some of these little works a bit more, adding some intricate detail but this will be done on a case by case basis.
