Let’s do it.

This is one of the first panels I painted. I limited the palette to red, yellow ochre, black and white. I was concerned with design and didn’t want to get into colour too much yet. I tried to make all the shapes different from each other and make sure your eye travels all the way around the space. When you do this it actually works. I feel liberated by it. These are early days and I know that it is all painted in one layer and in thin paint, but it has a life and it didn’t take me that long to do. If you make a mark on a board then make the next one as different from the first as possible and the next from both of those, you ought to be able to build up a painting like that. The possibilities excite me.

Looking back now I can see that it has some of the movement in it that later boards I like have. I put a white glaze over some areas to make those lovely quiet passages and I’m interested in what that can do. It feels good to be painting and starting out along the road.