161. At the Edge of Cacophony
Acrylic on deep edged canvas
Canvas size 61 x 61cm
£320
Exhibited at "8 days 4 artists", Eagle Gallery, 15th - 22nd November 2025
This painting is the first in a series of two paintings where the second painting in the series precedes this as painting 160 in my catalogue; both having been painted concurrently, but this one finished last. I had intended to debut them at the “Edges” themed exhibition at the Eagle gallery in July 2024; but alas, life got in the way.
I feel I work well working to a ‘brief’, limiting scope and forcing problem solving. Here I incorporated one of my earlier paintings “Cacophony” with a gold frame and a patterned wallpaper. The result was not dissimilar to “Anthropocene” (painting 139) a flat strata like image. Three different bands of image were painted separately, each with a slightly different technique emphasising the three creatives involved – wallpaper designer, frame mould designer, and me the original painting creator.
The reality of any painting not often explored is where it ends up. Painted in isolation in the artists studio, once released into the outside world, it gains new life perhaps in a gallery on white walls perfectly lit, or with other paintings by the same artist or in a domestic setting with competing wallpaper. The piece might be reframed by an eye at odds with the original artist’s preferences. Does a painting’s meaning, intent or value change with a new environment?
I choose Cacophony (71) from 2015 as I have treasured this work as one of my best and most popular, and felt another variation on this theme worth pursuing. I’ve never had this work in a gold frame before – but I think this helps to demonstrate the esteem with which I hold this piece.
Much of my work is from photographs and indeed the ‘cacophony’ element itself is from a photograph of the painting as the original is long gone. The frame and wallpaper were worked on from life.
I’d forgotten how long a process it was to create the cacophony colour blocks. Lots of masking tape and mixing on numerous palettes before a final round of painting shapes under a magnifying Lense to paint out the paint that bleeds under the masking tape.
Quite pleased with the warmth of the image, though slightly regret scaling down the frame – perhaps the opposite would have worked better, helping to suggest the frame is proud of the other elements. Not quite sure why I did it now, as the wallpaper is actual size.
This piece will have its first airing at the Novemeber 2025 group show “8 days-4 artists” at the Eagle Gallery, Bedford.
Canvas size 61 x 61cm
£320
Exhibited at "8 days 4 artists", Eagle Gallery, 15th - 22nd November 2025
This painting is the first in a series of two paintings where the second painting in the series precedes this as painting 160 in my catalogue; both having been painted concurrently, but this one finished last. I had intended to debut them at the “Edges” themed exhibition at the Eagle gallery in July 2024; but alas, life got in the way.
I feel I work well working to a ‘brief’, limiting scope and forcing problem solving. Here I incorporated one of my earlier paintings “Cacophony” with a gold frame and a patterned wallpaper. The result was not dissimilar to “Anthropocene” (painting 139) a flat strata like image. Three different bands of image were painted separately, each with a slightly different technique emphasising the three creatives involved – wallpaper designer, frame mould designer, and me the original painting creator.
The reality of any painting not often explored is where it ends up. Painted in isolation in the artists studio, once released into the outside world, it gains new life perhaps in a gallery on white walls perfectly lit, or with other paintings by the same artist or in a domestic setting with competing wallpaper. The piece might be reframed by an eye at odds with the original artist’s preferences. Does a painting’s meaning, intent or value change with a new environment?
I choose Cacophony (71) from 2015 as I have treasured this work as one of my best and most popular, and felt another variation on this theme worth pursuing. I’ve never had this work in a gold frame before – but I think this helps to demonstrate the esteem with which I hold this piece.
Much of my work is from photographs and indeed the ‘cacophony’ element itself is from a photograph of the painting as the original is long gone. The frame and wallpaper were worked on from life.
I’d forgotten how long a process it was to create the cacophony colour blocks. Lots of masking tape and mixing on numerous palettes before a final round of painting shapes under a magnifying Lense to paint out the paint that bleeds under the masking tape.
Quite pleased with the warmth of the image, though slightly regret scaling down the frame – perhaps the opposite would have worked better, helping to suggest the frame is proud of the other elements. Not quite sure why I did it now, as the wallpaper is actual size.
This piece will have its first airing at the Novemeber 2025 group show “8 days-4 artists” at the Eagle Gallery, Bedford.