This video is a narrated walk-through of one of my creative journals/sketchbooks. This Journal relates to a new series of Monochrome paintings called Origin Stories.
The journal is titled Now You Are Here.
The title and text in the book take inspiration from the end scenes from one of my favourite films, 'Synecdoche New York'. In the sequence, Philip Seymour-Hoffman walks through a series of shots slowly; over the top, you can hear Diane Weist saying, "Now you are here, now you are here..." This audio often plays in my head when I am trying to refocus on the present moment.
I use sketchbooks as a way to get into this place of focusing on the present moment. This practice of sketch journaling has evolved into this way of working, and I have come to love the finished books as objects in their own right.
This book and the accompanying series of paintings started with dried flowers. I have always loved collecting and looking at dried flowers, and I have also been thinking about ageing and wisdom recently. As we age, certain memories start to mean more to us, so I wanted to bring in some of my childhood memories to explore those that shaped how I see the world.
Origin Stories
The series consists of 7 monochrome paintings; Silver Birch, Vallis, Retrospective, Perhaps, Head in the Clouds, Travelling Without Moving, and Outsider.
You can read more about the series here and join the virtual exhibition by registering Here