Divine Illusion
2023
Oil on Canvas 1200mm x 750mm
We all want to believe that there are reasons behind everything we do. We accept, struggle to understand or dismiss the ideas that there are higher powers at play in our existence, and whether or not they are able to intervene in our lives or are merely a product of our imaginations.
Humanity has always looked for some sort of support in our greatest hours of need. And our greatest hour of need is often on the edge of the unknown- what happens next, where do we go from here, and why is this happening. Perhaps it is extreme danger, or death which triggers our dormant hopes for some kind of salvation or support- regardless of whether it is consciously believed in or wholly imagined.
Divine illusion conveys a duality of man and myth, reality against fantasy and faith coupled with reason and how they can exist in one’s mind whether as real or illusionary.
The figures, lighting and poses are left as ambiguous as possible to allow the viewer to reflect on the painting as a whole to determine for themselves if the intervention is divine, or an illusion which is instead illustrating the love and respect we have for others in times of need.
Flourish
2022
Oil on Canvas 500mm x 1000mm
Flourish represents energy and motion that passes through the body and provides vibrance and grace to humanity. The white ‘flourish’ passes through the figure sparking life- which until this point has not been present. This is explained through the lack of life in the painting up until the critical moment- there is no greenery, no lush foliage. It is dead and barren, and now that life has been sparked into being, life can begin anew.
Ghosts of indecision
2022
Oil on Canvas 750mm x 1000mm
The heavy burdens we carry throughout life and the regret and sorrow we constantly bear is manifested in this painting with a despairing figure, clearly weighed down. The darkness of his surroundings is an outward manifestation of what the figure is experiencing.
However all is not lost. The snakes represent rebirth and have provided a light in the darkness of life and growth and opportunity. Even is the depths of despair, there is always something to light the way.
The end of Gaia
2021
Oil on Canvas 600mm x 900mm
ARC (Art Renewal Centre) 16th International Salon Finalist
Visually represented through the Titans of Greek mythology, Gaia, the mother of Earth is dead. Atlas, who holds up the heavens and the world, is left carrying what is left of Earth- barren, brown and lifeless, with Gaia strewn across his lap.
The red & gold patterned drapery represent the blood and the riches extracted from the planet by humanity, causing the state of affairs depicted in the painting. The work is not without hope, as the circle of life surrounding the Titans suggest that not all is lost.
Eternal
2020
Oil on Canvas 500mm x 1000mm
Birth, growth, decay and death are all dictated by time which is the overarching theme in this painting. The snake eating its own tail is the universal visual representation of rebirth and destruction- ‘ouroboros’ as it is more commonly known. The figure is becoming a statue, which is starting to decay and age. The hour glass and the skull represent time and death and the flowers and foliage growth and rebirth. The painting is a continuous cycle from a macro and micro point of view- an extension of ‘ouroboros’.
