‘Inside Stories’ is an exhibition of paintings that explore how the subconscious mind reveals itself, through the actions and feelings of mark making, to form imagery created through conscious structures. The paintings take form by incorporating Fibonacci’s rules, golden ratios, triangles and spirals and each mark made is different from the last. Nonetheless, the marks made before it partially remain to illuminate the journey and the results are paintings that are full of energy, depict the transcendence of time and bring to light the inside stories of memories once had. 

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Drawing from abstract expressionism, the work might be considered to be process art. There is a sense of gratification taken from the marks made. As one journeys through the artworks, it is evident that this is a celebration of painting, and each painting’s final image is a consequence of that delight. Furthermore, there is a strong element of action painting, with splashes, gestural brushstrokes, and dripping. The use of mixed media, combining different materials, informs us that art can be made of anything and although many of the marks are consciously placed according to Fibonacci’s rules, rules are there to be broken and the variety of chosen media can result in unexpected, and extravagant works of art.

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In the painting titled: ‘Big Foot’, that appears on the exhibition flyer, the watery, colourful splashes of paint in the background indicate the presence of a head and shoulders, with the resulting drips falling off the bottom of the painting. To the left of the painting is what looks like a foetus holding a balloon in the top right corner, and its umbilical cord trailing off to the bottom left. There seems to be a representation of nature, with tree like objects scattered across the horizontal, a pathway to lead you into the forest, and it could be snowing with those thick white geometrically placed circles across the top third of the painting. Are those toes in the bottom right corner, and is this the ‘Big Foot’?

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Despite painting being declared ‘dead’ so many times, here we have a British Painter, formally trained in art 25 years ago, crossing art genres, proving that painting is still alive and well. Although, he doesn’t claim to be a part of any artist movement, or genre, to understand the work, one needs to forget the preconceived notions of painting and spend time wallowing in the sumptuous brilliance of mark making, oozing from each drip, splash and vivid expression of the brush mark. Let your imagination run wild, as these paintings provide a tapestry of colour and reveal the painter’s inside stories.