It probably sounds a bit iffy when I say that something came to me in a dream but last night something did. When I walked passed my paintings this morning an image I dreamt about came back to me. I ran over, took up a dirty oil paint brush and sketched it on the back of a canvas. Later, over coffee, I sketched the motif a few more times on a scrap bit of paper and when I got into the studio I cut up some Arches paper and reworked the drawing. Using a mixture of ink and acrylic I started some fluid drawings that felt clear and direct.

There is no colour variation, just black on white, a real break from the canvases. My confidence in the shapes grew with each ink drawing so I took out the etchings I brought from Ireland. I have been a bit hesitant to work on them because I only have a few and I am afraid to ruin any.

Suddenly all the hesitation was gone and I just took off. It was obvious that those shapes should be there. Sometimes the canvas or paper tells you exactly what it wants and all you have to do is follow orders. I like the dark, playful energy of the broad brushstrokes on top of the thin line drawings.

A Short Video