Slow and Long Infinitesimally
My work prior to this series was heavy laden with allegory and narrative. Visually referencing stories both known and unknown. If I had to put a label on it, I would say it was best described as contemporary folk art. This series of work marked my departure from figurative painting and instead left logic behind and embraced the spontaneous in abstraction.
In my painting, I decided I would act without sentiment. I would be brutal in execution. No longer filtering my actions… guided solely by impulse. I would travel back to the roots of inspiration. Back to the reason I decided to become a painter. Action painting… Abstract expressionism… Rejecting all literal references. A visual stream of consciousness that forsakes word and object. Raw expression, unfettered by rational thought. Instinctual painting, where every layer is informed upon by the previous one… eventually dominating the surface and, in turn, being dominated by the next.
The paintings come to life, die, and are resuscitated again and again. Abstract painting is like walking towards the edge of a cliff blindfolded. The key is knowing when to stop.
This work is all about process. It’s about nurturing raw inspiration and pouring it out onto the canvas. In a sense, the works are a reflection of the environment I was in at the time. Not just my physical environment, but emotional and spiritual as well. At the time I began this body of work, I was obsessed with the neo-classical Polish composer Henryk Gorecki – specifically, his 3rd Symphony. Words simply will not suffice to describe this music, I’ll leave it to you to find it and fall in love with it as I have. All three movements revolve around the separation of a child and parent, as felt from both perspectives. I listened to this music incessantly while working in the studio, focusing on the strong human emotions it stirred within me. Channeling them into my actions without analysis or judgement. The inspiration I gained from this music was so strong, I incorporated it into the title of the series. ‘Slow and Long, Infinitesimally‘ is a derivation of the title of the second movement… ‘Lento e Largo, Tranquillissimo‘.
91.5 cm x 123 cm (36 in x 48 in)
Oil and galkyd on canvas
91.5 cm x 123 cm (36 in x 48 in)
Oil and galkyd on canvas
91.5 cm x 123 cm (36 in x 48 in)
Oil and galkyd on canvas
91.5 cm x 123 cm (36 in x 48 in)
Oil and galkyd on canvas
123 cm x 123 cm (48 in x 48 in)
Oil and galkyd on canvas
123 cm x 154 cm (48 in x 60 in)
Oil and galkyd on canvas