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STATEMENT ‘Form and Transformation’ I am captivated by the idea of the head, as a compelling symbol of narrative - individually or collectively; A means of communication, recognition, even without features and expression, in and out of any particular context. Heads that can be looked through, like windows on the world, to glimpse that which is inside, beyond, or being in this place at this time. Heads in a crowd, all having the most amazing stories, meeting and passing, never acknowledging - we can only wonder - why some dogs don’t bark. Heads which move dreamily in and out of consciousness, half remembered, half forgotten, but resurrected by something faintly familiar, at the edge of memory. Profile heads, like votive totems, passing through time, contained by landscapes, cells or compartments, perhaps like images moving across the frames on a film, or caught in isolated stillness like an old photograph. The small paintings began as a project about eight years ago, initially to see if a twelve inch square painting could have the power and intensity to ‘hold a wall’ which would normally be occupied by the much larger paintings, (5’x4’ or 6’x8’) which I was exclusively making. The idea of making large scale paintings in a small size has continued to develop in parallel with the large works by presenting challenging painterly questions and problems which needed to be solved. For example, the physical process of making large pictures is strenuous, public and expansive. Conversely, working at a smaller size is intimate, closer and there is nowhere to hide in achieving the surface. Both methodologies mutually inform each other, only the touch and delivery of the material has to be different, the subject and content remain the same. The square format of the small works offers a significant alternative when viewing the pictures - they can be seen individually as freestanding pieces, or they can be assembled in blocks or lines of 2; 4; 6; 8 etcetera., with the capability of being continually re arranged. Ultimately, using 20 or 48, they can become large sized paintings in their own right, constructed of small individually rich elements, revealing extended narratives within the whole work.
Geoff Morten
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