Travel Memories
Small format paintings
I have painted subjects related to my travels for years but felt that they never related to one another and always stood alone. This body of work are also “Travel “ paintings but because of their uniform size and format, they are able to relate to each other in mood, colour and subject matter. They can be seen singly or in multiples and each piece may relate to others in many different ways such as subject matter or components in the painting) and colour ( suggesting mood). They may relate to one or more other works so can belong to different families therefore changing the original idea of a single piece of work. In other words they change as new ones are introduced or taken away.
Each painting is about a place I’ve visited recently or many years ago. They are not depictions of a specific place but about something I have noticed randomly or remembered or noted in my sketchbook at the time. They have always been individual pieces and were never conceived to be part of something else but when placed with others of the same format there the links begin.
My sketch books bear witness to my travels, because whether I am near or far from home I carry my diary with me. They are a means of reminding me of places and things I have seen to which I can relate when I need ideas for my paintings. The small format paintings are both restricting and liberating. Restricting because they make me work out compositions which fit to a regular format which is both challenging and exciting. Liberating because they enable me to create images which immediately connect with others I have made, whether through subject matter or colour. Each painting is about a place I have visited either long ago or recently which has attracted me or it could be something I have noticed randomly at the time. They are not precise depictions of that place but my own interpretation of the experience. These ideas have often been in my mind for years & in this format they have a new life because they relate to one another.
The following images are part of a collection of about 150 paintings : All works are oil on board: 24cm x 18cm.
The above three images are from the Sri Lanka series
