For many years I described myself as a painter of modern life. Yet recently I have questioned whether that is accurate.
Looking back, I can see a strong thread of eclecticism running through my work. It has hovered between figuration and abstraction, drawing on centuries of artistic tradition from ancient Greek and Roman Classicism, to Renaissance art, Impressionism, Abstraction, and Pop Art to computer-aided art. I have synthesized a variety of painting styles, making use of allegory, symbolism, and narrative. All of this reflects my interests and my education in art and science.
As a result, I think it is better to describe myself as a painter of a postmodern life. The a is important. It is simply my life and like all lives it has many strands. These are not woven according to an understood formula or pattern; they are chaotic.
So why the chaos?
This can partly be attributed to an addiction to information.. As a child, I would spend hours engrossed in encyclopaedias. I was a collector of facts, dates, and places. As an adult in my postmodern world, I can spend similar amounts of time happily churning through Wikipedia. I am also a voracious reader of books on history, politics, economics, cinema, photography, mathematics, computing, and physics.
As for literature, when reading something like Don Quixote, I ask, how can I make pictures about this or anything else that crosses my neural pathways? It has been, in short, confusing and exhausting.
Fortunately, I am learning not to worry about this state of mind. If I wish to use Subject A for a painting, and Subject B slips into view then the latter is equally welcome to stay … and so are Subjects C– Z. And yes, I try and establish some order in my work. I make choices. Some elements will remain and others will be ignored or removed. But, I no longer think I have established a universal truth. That was modernism in a nutshell. When I was a student, Clement Greenberg was the high priest, and woe betide anyone who said otherwise. I too fell under his influence, and it took a long time for me to rid myself of concepts such as painterly truth.
So what is postmodernism?
I have no strict or all-encompassing definition for it. My postmodern life is not defined by universal truths and order but by chaos and information overload. My work represents a view on that life, nothing more than that.
Essays about my work can be found here.
Selected Exhibitions
2023, London Art Biennale 2023 – ICAC Art Critics Award Winner
2021, #Shape of the New, Virtual Exhibition
2017, This England and Other Edens, Martyrs’ Gallery, Lewes (solo)
2015, Capturing the Spectacle: Paintings of Modern Life, Hop Gallery, Lewes (solo)
2014, John Moores Painting Prize 2014, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
1995, Woodlands Art Gallery, London
1994, Angela Flowers Gallery, London (solo)
1991, Wolfson College, Oxford
1991, Bruton Street Gallery, London
1989, Sandra Higgins Gallery, London (solo)
1989, Camden Art Centre, London (solo)
1984, Camberwell Printmakers, Intaglio Printmaker, London
1983, Stowells Trophy, Royal Academy of Arts, London
Education
Art
1984-85, Postgraduate Printmaking, Camberwell College of Art
1981-84, BA Fine Art Painting, Camberwell College of Art, London
1980-81, Foundation Course, Camberwell College of Art, London
Science and Technology
2000-2001, Diploma in Computing, The Open University
1970-73, BSc Aeronautical Engineering, The City University London
Teaching
Art
1991-94, BA Fine Art, Camberwell College (The London Institute)
Science and Technology
2000-05 BSc Software Engineering, The Open University, Arab Open University, Oxford University, University of Hertfordshire