It has been a crazily busy few months, so finding time to squeeze in my daily painting amongst my other commitments has been tricky at times. That said, I have always managed to create something, even if just a quick pen sketch on a train or in a hotel room. These impromptu pieces are often just as pleasing to the eye, as the more laboured works.
Now fully in the swing of painting everyday, I found myself becoming less precious about the result of each piece, and more interested in treating each piece as an opportunity to experiment. Compared to the work I created over the winter, during spring I regularly switched up my mediums, working in pastels, posca pens, charcoal powder, watercolour pencils, and oils.
In March, I travelled to New York to launch my new collection at the Chase Contemporary Gallery, finally fulfilling my lifelong dream of exhibiting my work in New York. Being back in New York provided me with an amazing opportunity to sketch from observation, whilst absorbing the bustling crowds, flashing lights and constant hum of traffic that give the city its unique identity. This direct insight was invaluable for creating more dynamic and authentic paintings.
For a few of my daily paintings, I took the opportunity to test out ideas for my Retro collection, a series I have long wanted to create. These initial sketches have since been developed further into a full studio collection, which was released in May 2019. I wanted to inject the final retro paintings with the same immediacy and energy as the quick pieces I did as daily paintings, so I painted with vivid colours and paint splashes, bringing the static objects to life.