<<<< 2d work

I haven't completed any serious oil paintings since 1994, at which point I was cutting up the paintings to use in collages. The oil paintings below are from my student days in Wolverhampton in the '80s, when figurative art was in vogue.

Portrait of tutor Paresh Chakraborty Break up        51 x 63 cm          1988 25 x 25 cm        1988

The above paintings are part of the best phase of painting I have done, when I was limiting my palette greatly, to force myself to use more subtle tones and variations. The forms look indistinct in the photos, you really have to see them close up, particularly to see the standing figure of Paresh.

The above painting was part of my degree show (and even made it into the college prospectus!). I was going through a post-modern phase when I think I was intellectualising a bit too much about the content of my work. I did want to paint 3D forms and structures, but I would then paint them as 'painted' objects, exploring ideas of why people paint objects and pictures (not very convincing was it, oh well I was young then). I was heavily into painted wooden boards as you can see.