A large abstract painting featuring red, black and yellow colours
Red is a powerful colour that can invoke many reactions
Combined with shades of itself and other defined colours it can (in this case) be warm, reassuring and potent all at the same time.
I have always liked the associations we place upon particular colours. For me, when I see reds like these I automatically think of a roaring open fire, the bright glow it creates and the shadows that dance across the walls.
Super Colossal (although not named because it’s the biggest painting I have ever done) certainly reminds me of this but it’s actually got roots in the Red Giant planetary bodies like Betelgeuse – cooling stars like our own sun. I love physics (and related subjects) and it’s hard not to let the wonderment of the universe filter into my interpretations of things. Actually I think that’s a good thing between you and me!
Unusually I have used a very thin set of paint layers this time and deliberately so. This is about the subtlety of blending as much as the shapes I have used. Carefully planting the right thickness of paint in the right area has defined a clear set of boundaries within the composition. Why? Well I wanted to create some stopping points for the eye – to avoid the colours becoming overwhelming. Break points can be essential in larger compositions – depending on the subject of course.
As a lover of certain styles of painting by Gerhard Richter this is influenced in certain parts to his drag-and-remove application techniques. This painting, no matter what it may convey to you, is going to bring warmth, style and a sense of individuality wherever it hangs.
