"I have always been interested in the idea of discovering paintings within paintings. The isolation of a small section of a painting becoming an unintended painting within itself."
"I have always been interested in the idea of discovering paintings within paintings. The isolation of a small section of a painting becoming an unintended painting within itself."
Still experimenting at 70
"Throughout this exhibition I have attempted to explore this concept as well as experimenting with scale, composition, techniques and materials.
My intention is to make a number of outcomes, which when combined, reveal one overall cohesive statement whilst still retaining their own identity.
The outcomes vary from representational to abstract and invite the viewer to interpret them as they see fit. Some of the pieces are self-explanatory whilst others require more viewer participation in order to excavate an image, or series of images, from a less obvious background. Similar to the difference found when analyzing a piece of music with clearly defined lyrics alongside a purely abstracted orchestral arrangement. Finding harmony amongst chaos.
I do not work from sketches or photographs preferring instead to work directly onto a surface using a range of materials. I begin by making a random set of marks that prompt me to respond with a range of techniques, approaches and materials. Similar to the cave paintings at Lascaux and Altamira where the shape of a rock or the contour of a line suggested what was to follow.
The journey of painting thus begins and guides me into what direction seems appropriate. For an outcome to be successful it has to document this journey that I have undertaken. More often than not the final piece (or pieces) will take me way beyond what I could have envisaged before I began.
As Picasso remarked "I simply paint in order to see the outcomes".
Whilst my work is based around the landscape it is not the landscape that appeals purely to sight. It is the journey through the landscape and the appeal it has to all the senses that I endeavor to capture through the process of painting,
Any outcome that may hint at a topographical view of a place that exists is purely coincidental ".
Graham Cox March 2024
