It all begins with the hands on the cave wall, the earliest expressions of ‘I am here’, and ‘this is me’; and we still wonder who those people were to this day. To return to that ur moment is for me to paint to fix my awareness of my own experience. To produce through an emergent process, something to be seen that hasn’t existed before.
As abstractions, my paintings represent what they do when they are finished and cease to be ‘abstract’ as they are now ‘something’. They are never pictures of nothing.
Art is only meaningful to the extent that it energises me as a painter and you as a viewer to new knowledge or new sensibilities — otherwise it is mute. Art’s value lies not in being acquired but in being essential. All paintings always tell the truth.
Brief Bio
I endeavour to bring contemplative energy through my paintings to enable a reaction, a conversation, between the artist and the viewer. My paintings may even become an independent personality.
I enjoy the play of colour, and of texture. I like to paint on paper, wood as well as the usual canvas.
Inspiration comes from many sources, and the forms you see undergo substantial transformation as they evolve on the painted surface.
I have studied still life painting, Japanese brush painting as well as studio photography and tapestry. I have benefited from the Turps art school mentoring course in London. I have experience in art photography, commercial photography, textile design and tapestry, and draw on a wide range of creative sources.
I also enjoy writing about art and have published a number of articles, such as in Art of England (now ceased publication).
I enjoy exhibiting my work and meeting people who have an interest in art. My work is in private collections in a number of countries.
I am also a specialist in health policy and have worked with governments, hospitals, insurers, the health professions and industry (pharma/devices, life sciences) along a range of critical issues, such as the use and role of machine learning (AI), counterfeit medicines, the healthcare workforce, hospital management, quality, patient’s experience of care, treatment pathways, and so on. If you work in healthcare/life sciences in any form, whether public or private sector, and whether you like my art or not, perhaps we might speak about your priorities.
Mike