Process, Tools & Techniques
“ I love the act, the doing of the painting. It is what impels me to start. One of the purest pleasures is knowing that, each time I begin, I can make something completely new – unlike anything that has ever existed, or will ever exist.
I like to play and experiment with the paint, often starting when priming boards with white. Shapes appear and then become images. Paint can be applied with large brushes, perhaps then dripped or poured. It is a journey of discovery rather than a planned sequence of actions.
There is a flow that bends time, and each mark suggests the next one. The marks and strokes must surprise me if I am to continue. Scribbling and doodling, scraping and sanding, the paint surface is continually manipulated, wet and dry. Thus can new worlds sometimes appear. The ideas arise from these actions – fast marks make for a better flow.
Most often I paint on hardboard (Masonite) but I also work on canvas, both cotton and linen. Screws, nails and adhesives attach found objects which can be anything. I use wood, metal, plastic, bark, twigs, feathers, jewellery, printed surfaces and cardboard.
I enjoy each part of the process – the preparation and the clean-up, and the tools seem to take on a magical power. Brushes, knives, chopsticks, metal stylus and the basic woodwork tools. I use oil pastels and many types of pencil and eraser. Often I do some construction or assemblage.”