The Tales of the See series abstractly reflects Brighton's unique seaside beauty, with pastel sunsets melting over shadowy rocks. The viewer is simultaneously invited to 'see' something deeper in an interplay between layers of the psyche. Blind spots of the controlling conscious analytical mind that limit and constrain are contrasted with mellifluous movements of the unconscious, offering the freedom to go above, behind, and beyond those mental restrictions.
The use of acrylics allows for effects from heavy bodied opacity to watercolour-like translucence. An original use of archival tissue paper layered onto the paintings creates luminous, dreamlike veils of colour with a transcendent-like quality. This is juxtaposed with the starkness of the raw jet black forms, referring to conceptual constraints. The style combines abstract expressionism with surrealism, in seeking to release the creative potential of the unconscious.
