Marineris

Mars canyons!

Marineris is named after the largest series of canyons on Mars. This geological feature is so big it runs for almost a quarter of the planet’s circumference. There are a number of different theories about how it was formed and whilst that may never be fully understood, one thing is certain – it’s epic in every way!

To celebrate this I sued an interesting combination of colours in this painting. Orange and yellow are the main features whilst a supporting cast of gold, copper, black, white and cream help form these colours in to some truly spectacular tonal blends.

The whole canyon theme is also included (as you may expect) in the series of fissures and valleys that stretch from one corner to the other. Most noticeably this is mapped out in the big yellow mass that traverses the canvas between corners.

Peppered within this are all those sensational colours I’ve mentioned and these play out in a series of detailed forms.

The big and the small

This large painting is all about details and there are literally thousands of them in this painting. However, that only tells half the story. Much in the same way we see a canyon for real, there’s the impact it has on you when you can climb inside it and experience textures and layers and strata then there’s the impact you get when you first see it from a distance.

That’s exactly what you get with Marineris. A first glance is the ‘wow’ followed by the desire to get under the skin and find out what it’s really made of. So thee whole ethos and the way you experience the real thing is captured in a two dimensional art work – pretty cool right?

At the core of what I do I believe in this up-close and far-away principle very strongly; it’s one of the ways I can build in longevity to my work – something that means it’s always revealing itself and giving you a new perspective on an ever-evolving basis.