What's in a Name...

So this 30" by 40" painting is entitled "LINAGE".  My inspiration came from my father and his love of genealogy.  After an idea presents itself to me I build on it with layers.  Firstly, in the best hunter/gatherer fashion, I source out papers, paint colours, scrap bits and ephemera.  Next comes choosing an overall palette from those supplies.  The fun begins when the gel medium (in this case matte) is applied and things begin to stick.  I work purely on instinct as to the composition and placement of objects.

Often there tend to be many little paintings which appear within the larger theme.  I find that happens usually by chance.  The viewer can then form a personal relationship to the piece by having a favourite 'bit'.

 As the layers multiply, the piece takes on more meaning and visual interest.  One of the last stages in this work was painting the vine that links the images together - my interpretation of a family tree.

I included the angel imagery to represent family members who have passed.  Once the canvas is finished a name serendipitously presents itself.  This time it was LINEAGE which encompasses my original idea.