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My painting practice involves the use of water-based paint and salt as my raw ingredients, from which I develop pieces heuristically, in a variety of forms, often from re-worked materials. The use of salt began in 1986 when I began to question what paint is and what it can be - the use of a paint/salt mix to coat surfaces became an essential part of my practice, a kind of artistic vocabulary.
Salt suits my purposes in many ways, as it is loaded with various histories and cultural powers. I'm particularly interested in how it disrupts my intentions: I can never completely predict the visual outcome of any piece of work and this allows me to operate in a space between chance and control, one which I have also explored in music, writing and video art.
A recent development has been the use of my paint/salt solutions to coat everyday objects in my life: medicine boxes, eggs, packets etc. following on from my modifying of palettes and painting kits, and the creation of 'roundals' - my term for small paintings made within the confines of plastic tops and lids.
My exhibition at the Birdhouse in April 2023: 'The Leaves are full of Paintings' was an opportunity to show previous work and also create new pieces, taking into account the environment of Pinces Park in which the Birdhouse is situated. For this, I began to collect litter (which I hate) from the park and its environs, and cover these unpleasant objects in paint and salt to transform them. This method generated several interesting works and a wider strategy of incorporating a range of selected sculptural elements into my practice, i.e. not things necessarily to hand.
Aspects of this will be seen in my upcoming exhibition: 'This Glass is full of Looking', part of Sarah Bennett's ongoing project 'Vitrine' (date to be confirmed).
