Ghosted

I have a fondness for painting old shops that are closing down or have vanished. I try to capture the individuality and charm of these places before they are lost to modern development. Now, almost every time I take a photo or make a painting of a building, within weeks it’s either being painted over or has closed down, even if it stood vacant for years. I like the idea that I’m immortalizing these places in paint, but at the same time I’m sad that the high street is changing so rapidly.

I was drawn to painting this empty shop as I like shopfronts that depict rich histories of a bygone era, which the ‘ghost sign’ represents. The title ‘Ghosted’ is also a reference to the practice of ending a personal relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication. Giving us a feeling of being abandoned or a sense of loss.