"Sunset, Rath near Comber", February 29.
Oils on canvas, 30cm x 25cm.
The first of the series has been completed. I have about six others already started and I am making good progress on them. Working in a proper studio makes a massive difference to me, so more in the series should be finished soon.
Being in the new studio is proving to be a considerable stimulus for my work. I still have a number of older paintings that I have to finish, but I have decided to primarily concentrate on a new series, all sunset and twilight scenes. My most recent paintings have nearly all been in a style I term "Experiential Realism", because I felt that my first priority had to be to "ground" myself and my art by working primarily from observation for a while. However, my original way of working had drawn on my imagination and unconscious mind for source material. This is still very important to me. If you like, they can be seen as two sides of the same coin. my internal world and my external one, both equally vital to my art. Twilight has always been considered a very unsettling period, neither day nor night, when anything could happen. It seems to me to perfectly symbolise my own need to balance and intertwine my external and internal realities. My intention is to put together a major exhibition of the series when it is completed (venue, as yet, unknown). I'll use this blog as a means of reporting on progress.
