Out of all the recent paintings I have done it is this one I am most pleased with. That’s just a personal thing as it’s the kinds of colours and shapes I enjoy the most.
180cm x 160cm (71″ x 64″)
I do like painting large works of art. There’s something intensely satisfying and enormously rewarding about it.
I’m not sure if it’s necessarily the accomplishment of being able to cover a large surface area or the impact of the finished piece? Whatever the pleasure though, it’s a pretty cool feeling when you finally get to turn it over after it’s been stretched round the frame. I pretty much leaped into the air after when I’d finished Between The Lines.
I knew as I began painting it that it was going to be a bit tasty. The colour combinations are unusual so I’ve had to be delicate and careful on how much of any one colour I apply. Though I primarily think of this as an orange and purple abstract there are subtle undertones of other colours if you care to stand there and pick them out. 
Partly this is because of the palette of colour I am using. Certain combinations are easy to put together but I admit to never having used these ones on the same canvas before. I struggle with gold and copper sometimes because they tend to look like mud if you’re not careful; in fact I’ve gone through three other versions before I got to this – I regularly have to practice before I get something that feels right.
Like with so many paintings I create it’s the use of black that is the cornerstone of the artwork. I’ve talked before on how, when used correctly, it can add almost any kind of emotive response.
In this painting it serves two purposes: to balance the colours (and add weight) and also to promote the feeling of upward movement. Without those carefully placed applications, rising from the bottom, the painting would suffer a lack of identity and structure.
Interestingly I chose to weave the black in with other colours to dilute it’s gravity. Too thick and heavy and what you end up with is an over-powering series of movements that swamp the others around it. At that point the painting becomes lost.
It’s a painting that works no matter where you view it from, so is perfect for hallways, entrances, dining rooms, stairwells and living rooms. It’s happy yet restrained, it’s uplifting yet grounded and carries a tonal palette that lifts you from wherever you view it.
If you have a natural wood staircase or are featuring stone, granite or anything with gold (or copper) in it then it will effortlessly pick out all those wonderfully rich and natural tones. And owing to it’s bright and cheerful disposition it doesn’t need any direct light source either so could be ideal to brighten up a dark space somewhere.
