This series of work came as almost a surprise to me. I have in the last ten years or so created many paintings. But, in the course of time, many remain incomplete, or are left unfinished by the exhibition deadline, self-imposed or otherwise. Pieces fall between the packing cases, whilst moving from one studio to the next, or, when a large series of paintings come to an end. What does one do with these ‘forgotten’ pieces?

In-between Days V was started by building layers and then reworking it in such a way as to leave original areas of paint still present, working with old and new. This is a most interesting and rewarding process, that which had been covered could be suddenly brought back into play, covered and revealed, resulting in a complexity and richness which otherwise would not be there.

The series is made with oils and acrylic paint; occasionally I finish an acrylic with oils, depending on the thickness of paint and other issues. The viscosity and transparency of paint plays into the process, digging into and scraping back, glazing and re-enlivening surfaces, all mean that unsought colours and structures arise. Thus the painted surface remains volatile, image and surface vying for our attention in a most interesting and dynamic way. This polarity is an essential element in the making and appreciation of the work.

A friend once told me I make ’slow art’, I like this, she understood the need for time in ‘seeing’ into a painting. This for me is the “why” of painting; that a piece becomes more than the sum of its parts, in the act of seeing. An abstract image can shift in meaning from one day to the next, from one view to the next, from one viewer to the next.

This painting is framed in a white wooden tray frame. The framed size is 33.6 x 28.7 x 5.5 cm