Technique

I suppose there are two interesting areas to focus on in terms of my technique - how I paint, and what I paint on. Two words: dots and wax. Three more words: very, very slowly.

Pointillism, now in high-def

I wouldn't actually describe my technique as being pointillist, certainly not divisionist, I just paint with dots which can form obvious similarities. The pointillists were interested in the optical blending of adjacent unmixed dabs of colour, while I'm interested in the build up and balance of mixed colour dabs. The eye will ultimately do some blending whenever it's at a distance from detail, but I'm not focused on this scientific aspect of pointillism.

I strive to fill single areas with as many varying dabs of colour as can fit, without dominance, to create a vibrant and celebratory depiction of the colours which exist in everything. I especially love looking at the colours which can be found in something as simple as skin. Attempting to capture all these colours and allow them to shimmer against each other is why I enjoy painting in this manner.

I do sometimes just label what I do as pointillism in HD though, it's much simpler that way.

On wax you say?

Yep. I paint on wax panels which are created by dripping torrents of melted wax onto wood boards which are then branded with my own seal. The wax drips produce an incredibly uneven yet smooth surface full of minute, grainy gullies and splashes. The texture formed manages to play off and encourage my built up layers of thinly applied dots incredibly well with the tiny drips and dabs forming an almost symbiotic relationship.

Painting on wax is a technique I've been using since 2006. The idea spawned from watching a pair of skis being waxed. My first reaction was to attempt a "painting" by building up drips of coloured wax and making no attempt to move, blend or reform the material once it landed. I settled on using the wax to enhance the surface texture of my work which is now an important first step in all my pieces. Creating a wax surface with the level of detail and complexity I like is a vital part of my work and an area I continue to explore.

Canvas just doesn't do it for me anymore.