Artist's exhibition statement: I accepted Mark’s kind invitation to show my new works in April 2024 just prior to leaving for an overseas trip to do some historical research for a commission I had been awarded. It was needed for March 2024.
Ireland , Scotland, England and France are wonderful destinations, even in the depths of winter. Before setting out on the journey I had decided on the line of works for Mark’s Cooks Hill show; one less worry. Like many artists, of course, things can change on a pin head. And so it was that on the streets of Paris I became acutely aware of the self confidence exuded by Parisians. The women walk ramrod straight, are elegantly dressed, some with a dog on a leash and whether pedigree or designer or mutt, those pooches and their owners are haughty of gait! Seven days in Paris is an immersion in artistic bliss. So some of my works will definitely reflect influence from my overseas trip.
Apart from those influences, some words used to describe my work are authentic, unique, emotive, ethereal, spiritual, living work. I strive for excitement in a painting. I paint vigorously to capture the subject, it is not a photographic representation but one where I attempt to capture the soul. I want to make work which keeps on giving, where the owner will never grow tired of it.
I describe my subjects as universal but ultimately it is the viewer who is the final arbiter, regardless of my description. It is that which makes everything worth the effort, when the work takes on a life of its own for it is what the viewer sees which is authentic. - J.M.
