WITHIN THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA AND SKY
May 2018. BA Degree Show, Aberystwyth School of Art.
This series of paintings focuses on the relationship between the sea and sky, looking at the patterns and rhythms that occur and the natural compositions they create. The work explores the light, atmosphere and movement along the coast of Aberystwyth, emphasising the insignificance of man in relation to the natural world. I use the work to capture my experience on location, aiming to represent the scene whilst expressing my emotions towards the subject matter.. The colour pallet for the series has come from how the sea and sky make me feel. I have taken the colour in its raw state and focussed more on the importance of the light which connect the sea and sky. There is little to no manmade structures in the series to show the power of nature alone, and where there are elements of mankind I have over emphasised the natural world to show our insignificance.
My love for abstraction has given me the opportunity to analyse many abstract compositions. I believe that understanding what works in an abstract painting is very important as it gives you the ability to transfer the compositions in to any kind of painting. I often think of my paintings as abstracts, as I don’t see there to be anyway of recreating reality, or representing it, as not even a photo is reality, only reality itself is reality. However, at the moment my work is still representational, but with underlying abstract elements.
The Exhibition series brings both the sea and sky together rather than painting them individually. Through my research into both elements I have discovered that they both have many similarities and their relationship fascinates me. Both the sea and sky are affected by light and wind in very similar ways and at the coast they intertwine with one and other. The clouds will cast shadows on to the sea, and the colours reflect on to each other. But more interestingly, I enjoy finding other patterns that connect them, Often the rhythms of the sea connect to the cloud formations and the angles from along the shore and skyline join up with one and other. Highlighting this so that the viewer can clearly see their relationships is important for me, and is something that I have tried to achieve in the paintings.
For any further information or if you are interested in purchasing one of these paintings please do not hesitate to contact me through my contact page.