The paintings in my “Postcard From Oputia” series are in oils on board – using this robust surface makes it easier to scrape back layers of paint to edit and amend, allowing semi - random combinations of tone, colour and line to suggest new and sometimes surprising directions. Often inspired by dreams, these paintings are an exploration of a Utopian imaginary world, not only the scenery but an investigation of the culture, mores and sometimes whimsical notions of the Oputians. The default title of “Postcard From Oputia: xxxx” gives me the freedom to explore every aspect of the imagined; by turns surreal, disingenuous, naive or comic, but rooted in classic techniques and vocabularies of landscape painting, referencing themes of exploration and illustration from the past
