In 2015 I felt a need to create a body of work in response to the distressing images emanating from countries with large numbers of refugees seeking an escape from either famine or war. For the following two years I worked on a series of oil paintings but found that the technique of painting exclusively in oil restricted my ability to create the necessary interaction between the figures, representing refugees and the chaotic space through which they travelled. Once I had introduced a more diverse range of media, I worked more instinctively and was able to construct space in a more imaginative and emotive way.
This exhibition comprises drawings, collages and paintings. All mediums flow through each category of work.
The Borders Exhibition was originally scheduled for Spring 2020. It was postponed due to the first Covid lockdown and I transported much of my work from my London studio to the country to enable me to continue working. Unfortunately, my garden studio in Buckinghamshire caught fire in the Autumn 2020 (since rebuilt) and much of my work was destroyed or damaged. However, this proved to be a temporary setback since it served as a catalyst for producing new work.
Read 'A Devastating Sense of Loss', introduction to the exhibition catalogue by Richard Cork here
