Slight of Hand

Squares are good!

This serene and calm painting is created from some truly beautiful paint shades. Full of rich, deep tones, delicate blending and just the right proportions. A real show-stopper in my opinion.

I love squares as much as I love circles so this large square painting has been one of my favourites since the day I finished it. They are even, consistent, controlled, regular and have an uncanny way of being able to fit into almost any space.

Not only does it have the ability to be rotated in four orientations it can also become four different personalities. It’s a strange sentence to write but it’s absolutely true.

Blue, pink and aqua

On paper the combination of blue, aqua (or turquoise if you prefer) and pink feel at at odds to one another. However, their combination, in the right context, is utterly irresistible. The merest suggestion of black is enough to bring these colours together in what I consider to be a very mature but also incredibly relaxing abstract painting. Nothing feels hurried or manic; gentle tones weave in an out of each other whilst the shapes meander back and forth with great fluidity.

Slight of Hand

This painting has got a very definite trick up its sleeve. It’s not deceptive, as its name would suggest; instead its hidden qualities reveal themselves only when your mood allows them to be seen.

Don’t email saying I’m some sort of lunatic or deranged idiot though! What I refer to is the ability of the painting to transform itself from a cool, mild mannered celebration of colour into a crescendo of life and energy.

It’s your perception that will set this free. It doesn’t come by staring at it though. It comes when you least expect it.

It’s very deceiving as it jumps back to being a calm and easy-going sway in the blink of an eye. I know all this sounds like horse-shit but I’ve experienced it for myself. It’s odd but hugely intoxicating. I hang this in my art gallery where I can see it the most out of all my paintings. What does that tell you?

Material choices

The canvas is a handmade linen. Expensive, full of little signs it’s been hand woven. Beautiful. Then there’s the frame which has been hand routed from solid tulip wood. This is such a beautiful (knot-free) wood to use for framing. It’s a centuries old material used by many of the greatest names in art.

The paints are as you would expect – my trusty enamels. The finish undulated between gloss and semi-gloss finishes and I have deliberately left some drips of paint run in places so that they can catch the light as you move around it. It’s a great little feature.

This will be ideal for a dining room or large open plan sitting/living area.