The eye-watering complexity of this painting is married to an extraordinary palette of colour that combine to make this painting an absolute stand-out piece.
275cm x 75cm (108″ x 29″)
This particular original painting is a series of stunning blended colours fused into exquisite shapes and textures.
I rarely do anything quite so bold as this and certainly not with such an unusual combination of colours. But the need to press ever forward is so intense that inevitably it leads me to paintings like these. 
I’m really not sure why it works but it does. We have quite profoundly opposing colour groups put together as well as a very unusual series of techniques and application methods that really shouldn’t be used on the same canvas.
But somehow it all works…
In a painting that’s complex and demanding it can often be necessary to put in a few rest points so the your eyes have time to regroup. In Distal Margins it’s the central area of green/yellow that does it by separating out the two end parts.
Through this though there’s the common theme of the pink/lilac river of paint that almost disappears through the central part but then meanders its way back in to life as it reaches the other side.
I had to create this mid point of calm to avoid the sides from becoming too overbearing and heavy – despite these being where the bulk of the action is based.
As with many of my original paintings I try to break new ground and explore different techniques each time I commit to putting paint on to canvas.
In Distal Margins that’s exactly the case – most noticeably in the way that I have created a series of (paint) rivers and valleys. Paint flows within paint, around islands and through valleys. 
No, really, I’m not making this up – a quick glance at the close-up photos will show you what I mean. The complexity and detailing is really rather wonderful and I would urge you to get up close with it if you have the opportunity.
I get fertile mountain ranges, rugged headlands full of heather and ferns as well as bubbling sulphur pools and the topographical outlines of Norway and Iceland.
I feel energised when I stare at it and feel an instant connection with the natural world. The name is a terminology derived from the process of classifying and measuring lava flows in volcanoes (I am a big volcano nerd!) but also has a definition in cancer screening when relating to tumour length.
I prefer to stick to the volcano reference as you can imagine…
It’s a completely over-the-top abstract painting with a ton of beautifully blended colours, a myriad of detail and a size that will fill almost any wall – particularly one with space above a sofa or a console table.
