Mel

About me:

My work uses abstraction to depict views from windows. The paintings are made up of rectangles, which are separated by black lines, which also run around the outside of the paintings. When I first started painting I saw these lines as either a restrictive or protective force.

My choice of colour was also important in the initial stages, as I attributed emotions to each of them. However, with the growth of my pallet and interest in mixing my paints I have distanced myself from my previous position, I now have a more intuitive approach to colour.

As my work developed the surfaces have became more gestural. I apply the paint with both brushes and rollers as this produces a number of diverse gestures depending on the brushwork and roller so the paint creates a number of textured surfaces.

Although the formal aspects of my work have become more prominent since my early work the paintings are still very subjective. My work represents isolation and separation; they refer to a displacement that is personal to me. Since Piet Mondrian initially heavily influenced my work it is perhaps self evident that my work attempts to depict order and harmony through the geometric arrangements of shapes. But the work has also taken influence from Peter Halley, who often refers to confining structures of power in his paintings. My paintings combine a little of both these elements, they are full of contradictions, whilst representing isolation they also attempt to produce a kind of utopia.

My art work can be seen at Restaurant Tristan in Horsham, West Sussex.

I am also a member of Artists & Makers - check out the website.