Early 20s

The intention of my painted work is to explore themes of identity, specifically the assumptions and delusions that can be made and accepted through the observation of a frozen image. By using small low quality photographs and blowing these up to an often overpowering size, I am adding or perhaps exaggerating details, meaning that the final piece has been painstakingly contrived in order to create an iconic image that is a document of a model’s character filtered through my own creative process, i.e.; my own identity. The intention of this painting was to meditate upon the habits of men in their early 20s, using photographs of young acquaintances drinking and smoking. The garish colour scheme, a consistent feature in my painted work, serves to emphasise the idiosyncratic filtering process that has taken place in hinting towards the identity of the model. In recent paintings I have developed the blur technique shown here to emphasise movement and isolation from the subject.