Awakened Renewed is a series I started last year to tie in with the season changes into spring, bringing with it lighter, brighter times. I finished a couple of the paintings last year, but there was a couple that I couldn’t quite complete. I decided to revisit these earlier this year and was determined to get them done in time for Spring this year. Adding the finishing touches to artwork is something that can go on and on. It’s often difficult for me to reflect on how long these details take as I complete them over several months.
The last touches can feel agonising though and I have a lot of art that’s in this stage. I’m trying to let go of the idea of perfection in order to produce more art. An issue for me is when i’ve had something in the ‘work in progress’ stage for over a year, it really feels like the end result needs to be special. This is of course not possible with all my work, as i’m only one person and only have so much time.
This series features a mixture of mediums, including some watercolour and gouache paintings, which is a medium I haven’t dabbled in much. Other pieces are created using posca pens, or a combination of posca pen, acrylic and watercolour. I found watercolour and gouache to be interesting to use and i’m quite happy with the results, though I couldn’t really get the same bright tones as I do out of acrylic. This is probably an obvious observation, though I feel with some more learning and research that brighter tones are possible out of watercolour/gouache.
The Spring theme ties in with the lighter subject matter of these pieces. It was through a conversation with John, who I used to rent my studio of, that he commented that most of my art is very heavy in tone and feels quite dark and dense. I created the first piece ‘Realisation’, which is inspired by William Morris’s symmetrical patterns. I then created a counter piece to this ‘Reinvigorated’, which has lighter colours and a warmer, brighter feel to it. I then decided after the conversation with John to try making some more pieces in this style.
If i’m honest, we discussed the idea that some people might find this type of style more alluring than the heavier, darker pieces. So you could say i’ve sold out here and am trying to please an imagined client that may or may not exist! I also think the style is maybe a bit simpler than some of my other work. Composition is an area that I don’t pay enough attention to and it’s only through analysing my art that i’ve realised I can get away with less busy compositions. To be fair lots of people have probably commented about this over the years.
So in conclusion i’m selling out to please others tastes and thus lessening the true artistic merit of my work. Or something like that...
I’m intrigued to see how this series lands and if any of these things are picked up or not. This is also one of the few series i’ve created, so i’m excited to see where might be good to exhibit the work.
Prints of these works are available for sale, as well as the originals. The originals will be around £150 - £170 in price, with limited prints being available in A5/A4/A3. If you'd like to purchase either they will be up for sale on my website soon, or email me from the contact page.
