Statues…
Inspired by the damaged and worn statues of antiquity, the renaissance and the idealised image of human potential. Juxtaposed with the struggles of mental health, chronic pain and cognitive fragmentation that many of us struggle to transcend being defined by.
scan of a 4x5" film negative exposed to three layered hand crafted plates.
Soon to reach its final form as a lithograph print
Stability
Nothing feels stable about this image, even the idea and presentation of structure is crumbling.
Is it someone or something you know, a particular time or event?
Or is it your mind reminding you of it's own fragility in accurately recalling the past.
The framework is there but just our of reach of discernibility.
4×5” Adox CHS 25 Film negative exposed to three hand crafted layered plates, Lithograph Print.
Paradoxical Idealism #1
Finally posting one of these in its near completeness.
I have a lot of feelings about this image and the few that will go along with it.
The idea originally all stemmed from the damaged and worn statues of antiquity.
The renaissance and the idealised image of human potential.
The decay of the past, memories that lie within. The decay of a beautiful mind .... there is a lot going on.
Anyways thats it for now
Going to print it as a Lithograph once I decide on what size!
4x5" Adox CHS25 film negative exposed to three hand altered acetate sheets.
Work on the Walls
Always great to see your work hanging in the gallery. In this instance it s the “From Here” Alumni show at the Grimshaw Gudewicz Gallery in Massachusetts
Decay of a beautiful mind…
Finally posting one of these in its near completeness.
I have a lot of feelings about this image and the few that will go along with it.
The idea originally all stemmed from the damaged and worn statues of antiquity.
The renaissance and the idealised image of human potential.
The decay of the past, memories that lie within. The decay of a beautiful mind .... there is a lot going on.
Anyways thats it for now
Going to print it as a Lithograph once I decide on what size!
4x5" Adox CHS25 film negative exposed to three hand altered acetate sheets.
Round and Round
Lately I have been feeling pretty lost and listless with my artwork, its hard to find your footing after being in a rut for a while. So lately I have been thinking about observing, being observed and the ideas and worlds that started to emerge from these thoughts.
Cliche Verre and collage - Fomapan 100 4x5" negative directly exposed to 3 layered plates.
Close-up of work in progress
I've been taking my time a lot more these days, doing a few marks or half a layer on acrylic and then stepping back and just litting it simmer for a few days. Probably not the best for social media "engagement" algorithms womp womp.
Close up of work in progress, a bit of collage, cliche verre, drawing and soon to be contacted printed to a film negative .... maybe ...... maybe not?
I wish I had more from “Red Roof” Hospital …
One of the very few images I have from inside Cranberry Specialty Hospital (Plymouth County Hospital). It was a troublesome trek to get there and in. After half a roll of film the battery in my Eos-3 died, which the guy I was with was convinced it was due to how "haunted" the place was. I don't know what it is, but I have always liked this image. The Pixar lamp has fallen on hard times...
Long gone, but probably not so forgotten
Another one from Ruchill Hospital. There really wasn't anything left in place as far as equipment or signs of life from the past. However what it lacked in reminders of a past life, it made up for it in the tactility of decay.
Taken with my trusty Bronica Etrsi on fuji 160c film.
Old Ruchill Hospital is old
This is an old one from Ruchill Hospital in Glasgow. Taken around 2009 I think, the hospital is long gone now, having been redeveloped into houses. I haven't done a bit of exploring in ages, never really have the time any more.
Taken with my trusty Bronica Etrsi on fuji 160c film.
America in Decay #2
"America in Decay #2" 21/1/2025 marks the begining of the fall.
Colour Cliche Verre
What Trash…
"America In Decay" Image I created in 2018 which unfortunately has become relevant once again. Don't give up the fight, make the next four years the worst this garbage and his supports have experienced in their entire lives.
Messin about
Just messin about with some colours after getting annoyed with photoshop when doing final edits on this guy. Might keep this version about for a digital only print.
It ain’t to old
I think I prefer this one in B&W
Cliche verre/collage - Ektar film expired 2013 with 80b filter exposed to three layered plates.
By the way I only mention the age of the film to show that (while it takes a lot more work) you can get good colour results out of expired film. I mostly use expired film because new colour stock is insanely expensive for what you get.
Cliche verre/collage - Ektar film expired 2013 with 80b filter exposed to three layered plates.
Stuff with Stuff to make … Stuff
Cliche verre/collage - Ektar film expired 2013 with 80b filter exposed to three layered plates.
Cliche verre/collage - Ektar film expired 2013 with 80b filter exposed to three layered plates.
Getting back into it…
Just trying to get back into the swing of things after taking a much needed break. I just spent twenty minutes typing up a less than articulate smear on the state of the “art world” then this bs editor erased it, so fuck it.
“you are wrong, fucked, and overrated. I think I'm gonna be sick, and it's your fault. This is the end of everything. You are the end of everything” -Slipknot - Everything Ends
Cliche verre/collage - Ektar film expired 2013 with 80b filter exposed to three layered plates.
Good old Boltmzmann and his brain
"Boltmann's TV" Cliche Verre Technique - Camera-less - 4x5" B&W negative exposed to three hand crafted/altered plates.
One more for the road…
One last image from "Controlled Abstraction: Space and Time" This one won't actually be on the website. It has a nice feel to it but I found a different version to be more successful. Anywho, just about done with the new gallery for the website so I will be sharing that soon ... ish. Then I need to decide if I should start a shop on the website or not ... decisions ... decisions.
Unknown Galaxy - Cliche Verre Print - 4x5" negative exposure via fire (micro explosions) to a plate consisting of Carbon, alcohol, ink, steel, glue and film
The space in between…
Going through the "Space and Time" series again. Currently stuck on a new image I have been working on for a while, so I am going back and doing some "maintenance" of older work while I try to sort new work out in my head. I need to get the space and time work on the website but I have been holding out in hopes it could have the debut it deserves in a gallery. That was the original plan when I finished it a couple years ago but covid scrapped all that. The problem now is that all the galleries are shite, mainstream/popular galleries can't take the chance on new or interesting work cause they need the guaranteed sales to make ends meet (Not that they would anyways but thats a separate rant) and the smaller galleries are over priced and at that level ur basically paying for an arty piss up for all your friends and acquaintances, so whats the point?
No probably best to just get it up on the website and have one less thing on the to do list. Problem now is narrowing it down to a reasonable number to represent the series as a whole .....
Cliche Verre Print - 4x5" negative exposure via fire (micro explosions) to a plate consisting of Carbon, alcohol, ink, steel, glue and film.
Self as……B&W Version
So, here we have one of the Black and Whites of "Self portrait as Francis Deakin". Personally I am on the fence on which one I prefer, one of the curses of doing multiple versions, but how do you know which will be successful unless you try ALL the ideas .... right? What do you think?
Anyways like I said before the title is a play on names from the inspiration of the work. Francis is Francis Bacon and Deakin is John Deakin. I have always loved the imagery of Francis Bacon (sometimes not his colour choice) and he would only work from photographs. John Deakin who is a bit more obscure, was a friend of Bacon and part of the Soho art crowd at the time. He took a now famous portrait of Bacon for Vogue.