Figure Paintings 2014-2016
Introduction
Studio, Park Royal, May 2014
From 2014-2016, I had use of a studio in Park Royal. It was a big space and it enabled me to make a series of large figure paintings.
I immediately began work on Showtime, which I had left unfinished during the previous year.
Showtime – early state, 2013
Like the other figure paintings made in 2013, I initially used a combination of transfer print and paint. Similarly these pictures were inspired by places and events I had witnessed during my travels. For example, The History Man is based on a trip I made to Florence in 2013.
The History Man, 90 cm x 122 cm, Oil on MDF, 2014
On the Piazza della Signoria, a man holds forth for a TV camera. I eventually buried the crew beneath a decorative fretwork and an hour glass.
Film crew, Florence
The History Man’s presence is mirrored on the opposite side of the painting by a drinking fountain. Meanwhile a student demonstration marches through the city, banner aloft. NON C’E’ PIU’ TEMPO – there is no time for further discussions; it’s time for action.
As these paintings developed, I became less inclined to use transfer prints, increasingly relying solely on brushwork. I also made use of hand-cut stencils.
An example is The Scrabblers. It was started in 2015, but it was not finished until the following year, shortly before I left Park Royal.
The Scrabblers, 2015, 140 cm x 244 cm (diptych) oil on MDF, Private Collection
The Use of Allegory
Against the Tide, 67 cm x 205 cm, oil on MDF
Before leaving Park Royal, I completed Against the Tide. This is a very much an allegorical work, and a very political one that demonstrates a more painterly technique. This was particularly suited to the rendering of the background, where ghost-like figures merge into a seascape.
I made this in response to the resurgence of right-wing extremism in Europe. Observed from Brighton Beach in Sussex, a man and his dog ride the waves on a stand-up paddle board. It symbolizes the freedom of choice. In contrast to this, a seething mass of Nazis — derived from Leni Riefenstahl’s notorious propaganda film Triumph of the Will – pay homage to Hitler.
Conclusion
After leaving Park Royal, I took on a succession of studios in London. During the Covid pandemic I returned to working at home.
I continued to paint large pictures. Currently I’m working on smaller pieces. This is mostly due to neccessity – a lack of mobility and space.
Nevertheless, those two years in Park Royal cemented my determination to continue painting the human figure.