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"the enduring cycle of human experience that we recognise in some art forms that we come across, makes them last long in our memory, their subtext or appearance always seemingly reflective of the contemporary issue, or somehow emotionally restorative ...a relevance restated and remembered...(aided, in this case, by the treasured card from the gallery shop..." )
(in reference to, Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues painting 'Young Daughter of the Picts')
"Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things" (Cicero)...memory is generally more interesting to me as an idea for a painting...it's obviously an edited version of events...but its subjective narrative persists. The endless prosaic details of events or things, are no doubt useful for something (and readily recordable) but what really matters, is their collective impact as an emotional experience to recall; the details have to be very selective; avoiding illustration at all costs. When I'm painting, memory and recognition dictate the edit of the image I produce, of course I learned to 'paint what was there' objectively and still do sometimes, to get started but it's only after a thouroughly radical and subjective revision of the work, that I begin to recognise what's trying to be recalled....when it picks up a layer of some personal cultural relevance, I begin to see what's needed...sometimes it happens very quickly, sometimes it doesn't happen at all".
(on Scottish bathers)
"It's difficult to miss the continuity…the 'Pictish' flesh today, largely remains a whiter shade of pale blue, often complimented by (riddish hair)… instantly spotted when exposed or bathing…but just in case;…burnt, fake baked and covered in swirly tattoos …"
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