Paintings 2014 - 2019

She /Her 2016
Egg tempera ( 17"x17")
The painting is a 17-inch square. I started by applying a wash of paint in a warm ultramarine blue.In some places the blue is deeper, in others I applied it more thinly so that the white of the underlying paper shows through, creating a mottled effect. The blue paint covers the entire square. The edges of the square are straight, but the lines have a slightly wavy, free-hand appearance.
On top of this, I added small brush marks of red paint. These range in size from 1cm (the size of a toothbrush hair) to 3mm (the size of a large pinhead). The red itself is bright, but because the underlying deep blue shows through, the overall effect is dark and rich. The brush strokes are small horizontal lines, which cover the entire square. In some places they appear to be stacked on top of each other in irregular, wavering columns. The top of the painting is more densely covered with red. In some places this has been built up to the point where it almost obscures the blue, but you can still see the individual brush marks.There are also some patches near the top where I painted small vertical lines over the top of the horizontal ones, so that the red forms a blurred, cross-hatched effect. Lower down, the red brush marks are less dense and you can more clearly see the mottled blue paint underneath. From a distance, the red marks give a dappled, shimmering effect, like sunlight on water.
The painting is a 17-inch square. I started by applying a wash of paint in a warm ultramarine blue.In some places the blue is deeper, in others I applied it more thinly so that the white of the underlying paper shows through, creating a mottled effect. The blue paint covers the entire square. The edges of the square are straight, but the lines have a slightly wavy, free-hand appearance.
On top of this, I added small brush marks of red paint. These range in size from 1cm (the size of a toothbrush hair) to 3mm (the size of a large pinhead). The red itself is bright, but because the underlying deep blue shows through, the overall effect is dark and rich. The brush strokes are small horizontal lines, which cover the entire square. In some places they appear to be stacked on top of each other in irregular, wavering columns. The top of the painting is more densely covered with red. In some places this has been built up to the point where it almost obscures the blue, but you can still see the individual brush marks.There are also some patches near the top where I painted small vertical lines over the top of the horizontal ones, so that the red forms a blurred, cross-hatched effect. Lower down, the red brush marks are less dense and you can more clearly see the mottled blue paint underneath. From a distance, the red marks give a dappled, shimmering effect, like sunlight on water.

Sea-change 2015
Egg tempera ( 17"x17")
The painting is a 17-inch square. Like my other paintings, I started by covering the paper with a wash of blue paint. In this picture, small patches of deep blue mingle with small paler patches so that the blue appears mottled. The edges of the square are straight, but the lines have a slightly wavy, free-hand appearance.
The square is covered with small horizontal red brush strokes stacked in irregular, interlocking columns. The underlying blue is still visible, but the red marks form a mesh over the top, as if the blue was being seen through a red gauze. Unlike my other paintings, the red marks are dense and closely packed over the entire square. However, some of the individual brush strokes are painted with a thicker load of paint than others, so that small tendrils of brighter red appear to shimmer out from the red mesh backdrop. At the top, some of the marks have smudged together. The individual brush strokes are still visible, but from a distance they form a red blur.
The painting is a 17-inch square. Like my other paintings, I started by covering the paper with a wash of blue paint. In this picture, small patches of deep blue mingle with small paler patches so that the blue appears mottled. The edges of the square are straight, but the lines have a slightly wavy, free-hand appearance.
The square is covered with small horizontal red brush strokes stacked in irregular, interlocking columns. The underlying blue is still visible, but the red marks form a mesh over the top, as if the blue was being seen through a red gauze. Unlike my other paintings, the red marks are dense and closely packed over the entire square. However, some of the individual brush strokes are painted with a thicker load of paint than others, so that small tendrils of brighter red appear to shimmer out from the red mesh backdrop. At the top, some of the marks have smudged together. The individual brush strokes are still visible, but from a distance they form a red blur.

Murmuration 2017
Egg tempera ( 17"x17")
The painting is a 17-inch square. I applied an underlying wash of the same warm ultramarine blue as I use in my other works, but more heavily diluted to create a lighter sky blue. Some patches are very pale, verging on white, like a sky covered with wispy translucent cloud. At the bottom and sides of the painting the blue forms a slightly darker, broad, uneven line which gives a sense of depth to the rest of the picture, as if looking through a window. The edges of the blue square are straight, but the lines have a slightly wavy, free-hand appearance.
The top of the painting is covered with small red horizontal brush marks, which are densest on the left hand side. Since the underlying blue is paler than my other paintings, the red appears very bright and vibrant. In some patches the brush marks smudge together to form a red blur. The red brush marks then appear to drift down from the top, in broad wavy columns. There is a sense of diagonal motion towards the bottom right corner, as if they are being blown in a breeze. The marks were applied in bands, which overlap to form undulating horizontal lines across the painting. The brush marks are more sparsely distributed in the lower part of the picture, and the red paint of each mark is softer and wispier. The underlying pale blue shows through, giving a sense of lightness and movement.
The painting is a 17-inch square. I applied an underlying wash of the same warm ultramarine blue as I use in my other works, but more heavily diluted to create a lighter sky blue. Some patches are very pale, verging on white, like a sky covered with wispy translucent cloud. At the bottom and sides of the painting the blue forms a slightly darker, broad, uneven line which gives a sense of depth to the rest of the picture, as if looking through a window. The edges of the blue square are straight, but the lines have a slightly wavy, free-hand appearance.
The top of the painting is covered with small red horizontal brush marks, which are densest on the left hand side. Since the underlying blue is paler than my other paintings, the red appears very bright and vibrant. In some patches the brush marks smudge together to form a red blur. The red brush marks then appear to drift down from the top, in broad wavy columns. There is a sense of diagonal motion towards the bottom right corner, as if they are being blown in a breeze. The marks were applied in bands, which overlap to form undulating horizontal lines across the painting. The brush marks are more sparsely distributed in the lower part of the picture, and the red paint of each mark is softer and wispier. The underlying pale blue shows through, giving a sense of lightness and movement.

Selvedge 2018
Egg tempera ( 17"x17")
The painting is a 17-inch square. I started by applying a very pale wash of blue paint in six broad horizontal strips. The lines are uneven and each strip is a slightly different width, ranging from 2 inches to 4 inches. The darker edges of each strip are still visible, so that the square appears to be divided into horizontal bands. The edges of the square are straight, but the lines have a slightly wavy, free-hand appearance.
I then applied small, deeper blue vertical brush marks within each strip. These are densely packed and sometimes blur together, but the underlying pale blue is still visible.
On top of all this, I added very small, horizontal bright red brush strokes in irregular interlocking columns. These cover the entire square, but they are densest and brightest in the top left hand corner. The horizontal red brush marks sometimes cover the vertical blue brush marks underneath, and sometimes interlock with them. From a distance, the picture appears to form three-dimensional folds along the edges of the blue horizontal strips, like a piece of fabric with creases in it.
The painting is a 17-inch square. I started by applying a very pale wash of blue paint in six broad horizontal strips. The lines are uneven and each strip is a slightly different width, ranging from 2 inches to 4 inches. The darker edges of each strip are still visible, so that the square appears to be divided into horizontal bands. The edges of the square are straight, but the lines have a slightly wavy, free-hand appearance.
I then applied small, deeper blue vertical brush marks within each strip. These are densely packed and sometimes blur together, but the underlying pale blue is still visible.
On top of all this, I added very small, horizontal bright red brush strokes in irregular interlocking columns. These cover the entire square, but they are densest and brightest in the top left hand corner. The horizontal red brush marks sometimes cover the vertical blue brush marks underneath, and sometimes interlock with them. From a distance, the picture appears to form three-dimensional folds along the edges of the blue horizontal strips, like a piece of fabric with creases in it.