My long-term preoccupation is the relationship between people, animals and landscape. When I start a new piece, it is with minimal preparation and only a vague idea of the finished composition, because I want the possibility of change to exist throughout the entire process. The slow-drying properties of oil paint help to facilitate this way of working, which allows associations to develop in surprising and sometimes surreal ways. Canaries were once miners’ companions, chiefly intended to provide an early warning system for toxic gases. Here, the bird might be alerting us to the polluted air above ground, but this is the post-truth age (see the graffiti on the post box) and inconvenient warnings are too often ignored.
