Artists Working in Isolation: A Personal Experience

'Coastal Flooding,' oil on canvas, 30 x 23 cm

As lockdown eases a bit here in the UK, my anxiety has also eased a little though strangely my output of painting has not been affected. If anything, the 3 months of restrictions caused an even greater concentration on my painting and my 2020 album on my website is packed with new work made since March 23rd. The painting above was completed this week and reflects the gradually changing conditions in that I've picked up the threads on a past theme of climate change. Up till this moment I was focused on a series of collage and mixed media works which was largely directed by wanting to escape to new places or were reflections on the new territory we find ourselves in. Now these themes are alternating with painting on canvas again.

Most artists work in isolation much of the time but the main difference has been that we couldn't meet up or visit each other's studios and exhibitions. There have been many online events, discussions, and online exhibitions and we've had to find new ways to connect with our audience.

Materials take much longer to arrive at the moment so while making collage works on card I've been re-working unresolved paintings, some from a few years ago. For this post I'm showing a few of these plus a new painting made for a show in China later this year (which may end up being postponed).

'Garden of Light,' oil on canvas, 40 x 30 cm

I've also gone back to working with oil paint again after having spent these 3 months working with ink, acrylic, papers and gesso on card. 

'Paintscape,' oil on board, 37 x 47 cm

Finally, this medium sized painting was painted entirely in acrylic. Last August as a particpant at the 8th Beijing International Art Biennale I was one of 30 artists selected to go out sketching in the landscape near the mountains. It was a 90 minute journey and I worked with ink on paper. This painting is a composite of memories of my month's painting Fellowship at the Great Wall in 2016, 4 trips to China, and reflections on my visits which evolved into waterfalls of colour. The painting was also influenced by the many mixed media works I was creating. I could have chosen any of the viewpoints I sketched though none were close up views of mountains, but as I love mountains, and they symbolise journeys and I remember the long journey to the mountains at the Great Wall, this image grew from those layers of thought.

'Waterfalls of Colour,' acrylic on canvas, 93 x 78 cm

A colourful Tribute to my mother

'Landscape Poem,' oil and acrylic, 40 x 30cm

It has been a month since I last posted. Today as I write there is about 25 cm of snow outside on my patio and more expected for the end of the week. It has been a very hard and distressing February because my mother passed away on February 16th after six days in hospital with Pneumonia. I am looking out onto daffodils peeking through drifts of snow remembering how she loved those first signs of Spring and the lovely yellows.

'Landscape Memory,' acrylic on canvas, 50 x 40cm

Consequently, I have had a lot of things to see to over the last two weeks and have not really had time for many of my usual activities, and none for painting. So for this post I am just going to add a few colourful paintings. My mother loved to see my paintings as they evolved and especially loved colour. Today I want to try to paint again because I know she would be telling me to get back to work!

'On the Cusp of Memory,' oil and acrylic on canvas, 80 x 50 cm

'Summer Remembered,' acrylic and oil on canvas, 70 x 50 cm

My mother loved this painting, made in China during my painting Fellowship by the Great Wall (2016). I had to roll it to bring it home.

'Journey to the Great Wall,' acrylic and ink on canvas, 90 x 70 cm

And lastly, some daffodils I bought for her and put in our kitchen. She always bought them at this time of year to brighten the kitchen.

Remembering a Place and Time

'Falling Stars,' ink and acrylic on canvas, 30 x 22 cm

When I am not painting, I am always thinking about my work to try to evaluate where I have been and sift through where I would like to go next. It is not possible to be too fixed when thinking about painting because, with the way I work it is very spontaneous and I rely on the intuition of my hand and brush. But I do believe that thoughts influence how I paint when I pick up my brushes, and it is always good and positive to evaluate the work. 

Paintings constantly influence each other, both past works and current works. Ideas branch out in to new directions while all the while taking the most relevant aspects of my current ideas.

The painting posted above is about a memory from my time staying at the Brickyard Retreat, next to the Great Wall of China (during my Fellowship) last August. Every night I sat outside the restaurant, next to a small pool of Lotus,flowers and watched the moon rise above a forested hill to the east. It was a much appreciated quiet time after the heat and being in the studio every day. That area is very rural and the sky held the brightest stars I have ever seen anywhere! The hill to the east was near where I was sitting and it was covered in a dense forest which appeared jungle-like by day and night. As the moon rose very slowly, I watched it illuminate parts of the hill and the stars almost appeared to be falling and sparkling. This painting incorporates ink and as I worked it suggested this place and time.

New Work

'Rhythm around the Great Wall,' acrylic and ink on rice paper, 96 x 94 cm

'Red-Dynasty,' acrylic on canvas, 30 x 25 cm

Some of my posts which were posted from my iPad have not posted correctly; the images are either too large or have been cut off by information at the side of the blog, so I am reposting some of them!

'Colour-Poem,' acrylic and ink on rice paper, 96 x 94cm

'Mountain-Water-China-Poem,' acrylic and ink on rice paper, 98 x 95 cm

As we near the end of the year, I am looking forward to next year and a new body of work. These works, which were inspired by my funded 'Schoolhouse at Mutianyu Great Wall' painting residency, have provided much inspiration and new ideas.