2014 : Forest Encounter, ‘Lyminge Forest III’

Many years ago in the mid 1970s I got lost in a very dense part of Lyminge Forest in Kent for well over an hour. The sun was totally obscured by leaves and branches and of no help in giving me any sense of direction to find my way out. Little did I know that it would only be after completing ‘Lyminge Forest III’ in 1999 that I would realise how much the painting echoes that experience.

The three panels have differing images of forest space, close up with textured tree trunks, suggestions of foliage with varying degrees of definition and overall the many treelike verticals and spaces between are intended to lead the viewer’s eye across and around the length of the painting.

It was not until early1980-90’s that treescapes became an important part of my work. I was already involved with depicting the forces of nature and human presence using allusion/illusion, multiple horizons, differing view points, ideas about moments before perception and juggling abstraction with figuration.

This ‘Lyminge Forest’ work took about 16 years to complete including many dormant periods when I was unable to force its development. This allowed me to see the painting unexpectedly, in a different context, which demanded creative attention.