Oil Demonstration 77surrounds them. You can thus design
a painting in such a way as to lead
the viewer’s eye through the picture,
simultaneously emphasising particular
areas of interest. rough paint you
can also express how you felt whilst
experiencing that scene or time. e fact
that you can design and shape all aspects
of a painting allows you to make images
that are innovative and yet reminiscent
of your own visual language. I personally
enjoy experimenting with colours in
order to nd a colour palette that is
unique to myself. Pierre Bonnard is a
great example of a painter whose colours
seem to be so distinctively his. To make
something that is distinctive requires
small but constant experimentation and
exploration of new colour combinations
or compositions. is is a key aspect of
my practice, which enables me to push
toward my own unique visual language
that is a re ection of my personal
disposition. Even though the work is
realistic, I tend to push the colours to the
edge of what would be considered real.
I nd that placing emphasis on
practical tasks is the best way to learn
and improve. Be careful when you are
simply being taught or shown things as
you are only acquiring knowledge. Only
by putting these ideas into practice can
you realise those lessons and hopefully
master them. You should question
current thinking and undertake your
own studies. Making studies and small-
scale works can be a good way to test
new ideas quickly. In order to make
something new that has as yet not been
expressed before in paint, there must be
some level of risk. Without risk there
is no beauty. My current thinking is
leading me to place an emphasis on
further experimentation with light. is
is the direction I intend to pursue with
future works. I guess what ultimately
drives me is the things that supposedly
don’t exist, the negative spaces that
people look over and the general spirit
of a place. Of course nothing can be
perfectly rendered in paint and this is a
reminder of human imperfection. But it
is this inability to reach perfection, and
to comprehend the incomprehensible,
which leads to a search for further
understanding and expression. e
search for the subtlety, for the concealed,
for the hidden, is never-ending. But the
journey is what is valuable and thus we
might as well revel in it.111 , oil on linen, 80 x 150 cm (31 x 59")
My Design &
Composition Tactics- Have a broad range of
in uences: Take ideas from a
wide variety of di erent artists
and in uences. I nd that
looking back into art history
is very useful. Select what you
like not what you think you
should like. - Intentional practice:
Intentional practice is mindful
awareness. To be intentional you
should use processes that lead
you to your desired outcome.
For example, if you wanted to
create more “depth” in your
paintings you would learn and
practice processes that lead to
this desired outcome. - Test rst: Do small studies
and tests before beginning a
painting. e more small-scale
studies you do for each aspect
of a painting the better quality
it will be. I usually do many
studies for composition, tone
and colour.