Welcome

Layering is a fundamental aspect of my work, and I often start by putting down a layer of collage. Sometimes that will be the only layer of collage I use, or subsequent layers of collage will be added, maybe becoming more selective as the painting’s theme and title emerges.

I often make gel prints on papers of various qualities and thicknesses, to use as collage. These allow exploration of stencils, prints from found objects, before committing to them in my painting.

Using image transfer instead of collaging adds layers and texture without bulk, giving effects otherwise unachievable.

Adding mediums to make the paint thicker or thinner, creates both tangible and visual texture, ensuring that each layer added ends up informing, in some way, the finished piece.

Masking is a theme I like to explore, but not all masks are opaque. Some are more like veils, allowing glimpses of what lies beneath. Glazes and stencils allow the creation of partially glimpsed elements.

Underlying all of this is the ongoing and continuous process of adding and removing layers or parts of layers of paint and collage, by peeling, scraping, and sanding.

Sometimes, this reveals even the lowest layers, and creates texture and depth, that can only be made in this way.