Painting Narratives

Religion- this series of paintings provide a secular eye on the worldly aspects of religion and its hierarchies.

Orthodox, 183 x 152 cm, oil and gold leaf on canvas

Orthodox shows the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church lighting candles during the ceremony of the Holy Fire which occurs each Easter. A fractious hierarchy and a congregation with mixed feelings look on. Beautiful Icons cover the walls and a brotherhood of monks chant in the bell tower in warm candlelight. Men bicker over their fill of holy water and 2 men debate how many fingers you should cross yourself with, a dispute which caused a schism in the church in the 18th century. An institution of undoubted spiritual worth this church also stands in contrast to some of its believers at an altar to the glory of gold.

Fundamental, 183 x 152 cm, oil on canvas

A spiritualist church during harvest festival is the focus of this painting. I have invented a vast edifice for the spiritualist church, whose churches are usually modest, to emphasize the impact of the preaching. Care home residents have been brought into the church, some in a vulnerable state. A pointing preacher holds forth with a musical and televisual accompaniment. In the light coming from the TV you can see anti-Catholic imagery. Dancers and an organist create a mood and people are being treated with healing hands. Latecomers watch from afar on an indoor balcony and a man waves his collection box at a dishevelled congregation.

Mourning Maimonides, 183 x 152 cm, oil on canvas

This painting addresses the question- when does a monument representing somebody become an idol? It shows the mauve painted metal monument to Maimonides, (a great Jewish scholar and philosopher) in Tiberias, Israel. Quite a spectacular memorial, some Haredi objected to its construction on religious grounds. Some people in the painting are mourning later than is allowed for and in an emotional way which is criticised by the Talmud and Maimonides himself. It explores the quandary of whether you can mourn someone in a way that flouts their wishes, even if it is done with the best of intentions.

Allegory, 320 x 220 cm, oil on canvas

A stormy sea fills the canvas, covered by rafts of people of many religions and none. A cross shaped Christian raft is splitting, Humanists are trying to make a raft out of each other, Hindus have a raft covered in deity sculptures. Animists see the waves as a nature spirit and attack, Jains and their horse starve due to their strictly vegan diet, Jews try to keep their Torah scroll dry, Sikhs ride a wave almost onto the Yin Yang Buddhist raft, much to their chagrin. Many of the Muslims are too busy praying to take notice of the waves, Confucians stand in ordered rows, while the Zoroastrian raft burns from the inside out- the eternal flame must stay alight! Meanwhile the Aztec raft scuds along without a passenger. In the foreground a man floats lightly on the water. On his shirt is a badge saying- God just say no. I now believe in God, but this painting was conceived as a kind of Altarpiece for Atheists.

Pilgrims, 152 x 122 cm, oil on canvas

Pilgrims portrays the coming together of people which occurs on a pilgrimage. Aside from the hierarchies and institutions of religion, people are subsumed in travelling with common purpose, forming a comradeship and brother/sisterhood. This is why people in the painting are mostly wearing green, as they blend into the landscape and ritual.

Mortality- This series of paintings depicts attitudes to death, the rituals surrounding it, and how memorials provide a window into social history.

Graves of St Petersburg, 197 x 189 cm, oil and acrylic on canvas

Graves of St Petersburg celebrates the individuality of the graves and monuments in some Russian graveyards. Each grave represents something of the life of those buried beneath. An explorers grave is a huge chunk of dead coral he bought home, a writer of ghost stories has a surreal monument where he is confronting a phantasm and his leg is turning into a dog, a young actor is portrayed in his role as Horatio. Poets, priests apparatchiks, all have monuments which reflect their place in society. Sculptures from the graveyard of fallen monuments are scattered amongst the graves, relics of a dead political system.

Ancestors, 183 x 183 cm, oil on canvas

Ancestors shows the famadihana ceremony on Madagascar’s Haute Plateau, in which every 7 years a family disinter the family remains from their tomb, separate the remains, wrap them in fresh shrouds, and dance around the village with them. This brings a special connection with the ancestors, and it is followed with a celebration. Musicians usually play, and everyone is involved, this is a positive way of dealing with death.

Funeral March, 183 x 183 cm, acrylic on canvas

Tsfat is the focus of this painting. A truly beautiful city, it is the centre for Jewish mysticism and the Kabbalah, and much of the town and its graves are painted blue. A funeral procession is taking place, slowly walking towards the viewer. The coffin is being carried by 3 men, one of them blind. I was keen to have a blind person depicted as able to do this as so often they are shown in art as representing ignorance, such as The Blind Leading the Blind. This is no parable. The glowing yellow background shows the dryness of the landscape and emphasise the blue graves.

Manakara, 183 x 122 cm, oil and acrylic on canvas

A Travellers Tree growing in a boat floats along the Pangalanes Canal, past the graveyard for the mostly Chinese labourers who built the waterway. Past old French colonial villas now roofless and full of trees. Past a vast red bridge and the Manakara town sign bedecked in Madagascar’s national colours. The Travellers Tree is the country’s national symbol and its voyage upstream is a symbol of Madagascar gaining more international attention.

Tourist Tomb, 152 x 122 cm, acrylic on canvas

Tourist Tomb depicts the tombs of ancient Egyptian nobility with hieroglyphs, sculptures, and human remains. The tourists and guides are delineated with black calligraphic shadows to emphasise the bright yellow torchlight. A photographer passes by, holding his long lens in an almost phallic manner.

Marking Time, 198 x 122 cm, acrylic on canvas

This painting is a realistic view of Swanage, where the car parking spaces align with the graves in the background, and the yellow sunset tints everything.

Fish, 304 x 122 cm, oil and acrylic on 2 joined canvases

A Venetian fish market is shown, with men bringing and preparing fish while keeping an eye on a bonfire.

A vortex spins around a desert landscape in central Egypt, knocking people off their bikes and camels and out of their watchtowers and feluccas. The rocky openings of tombs and cave homes can be seen throughout the painting.

Environment- This series shows the quandaries which pervade many environmental concerns.

Rainforest Fire, 183 x 183 cm, oil on canvas

Rainforest Fire shows the difficult choices for people in some forested areas, when more land to grow food is needed it is difficult to balance this with conservation. This fire has got out of control due to dryer conditions than is usual, and people are gathering charcoal from the tree’s remains. Soldiers stand by unable to do anything to stop the blaze, and in the background the fire is getting uncomfortably close to lemurs and some small homes.

Man Made Geysers, oil on canvas, 197 x 189 cm

The geysers of Ampefy in Madagascar are the focus of this painting. Over a century ago the French drilled here and fractured the aquifer causing mineral rich groundwater to rise to the surface and become geysers. In the time since the mineral sediment has formed these red waterways and yellow rock protuberances. Though you can’t drink the water it is now used as a spa, to cure skin ailments and other conditions.

Flash Floods in the High Atlas, 310 x 76 cm, oil and acrylic on canvas

My intent with this Moroccan panorama was to cram several miles of mountainous landscape into one image. It shows how well prepared High Atlas residents are to deal with these orangey, iron oxide tinted floodwaters. Drainage channels abound as do small bridges, and only rarely does a house get waterlogged.

Poachers, 183 x 183, oil and acrylic on canvas

Torchlight illuminates a foreground denuded forest, as poachers throng the riverbanks. One man struggles with a lemur in a bag, a woman has one on a leash. A fosa (a sort of big cat) has been stunned and is being carried alongside a man with a glass case with a gecko, a chameleon and a tree frog inside. By the far bank pristine forest is reflected in the water. For how much longer?

Politics- This loose series shows how politics and international trade affects lives and attitudes.

Human Chain, 366 x 210 cm, oil on canvas

This painting shows the demolition of parts of an old port, creating room for more containerisation and automation. This will be the last job at the docks for many of the people shown, and a very tough one. A boy pulls along a cart piled up with parcels, a lady has a parcel on her back to smuggle round customs. A migrant boat is hauled in after a failed crossing, and a policeman tries to attack a boy. In the background there is a small protest at the demolition of homes so the port can be expanded. Several stowaways can also be seen, one of whom has been discovered.

Hierarchy, oil and acrylic on canvas, 220 x 190 cm, 2021

Hierarchy depicts a pile of people helping and hindering one another in different ways. The painting is about inequality but also shows people giving mutual support and protection. Some well known faces can be seen at the top of the pile, in front of a bright purple sky. This colour has been used to depict power since it was used on the clothes of Byzantine emperors. The human pyramid is surrounded by a moat, almost like a castle, and fields stretch to the horizon.

The Gold Scales, acrylic on canvas, 170 x 120 cm

The Gold Scales shows a financier being weighed against a group of people, trying to balance financial interests with the needs of many. The gold scales sit on a roof garden with a drafts board pattern. In the background is a sports car dealership frequented by the financier and the flats of many on the other side of the scales.

Unity Day, 220 x 140 cm, phosphorescent acrylic on canvas

Unity Day shows what was a big problem in Russia- the Neo Nazi thugs who hijack National Unity Day for their own violent ends. Kitted out in turn up trousers and shaved heads they are trying to strangle a black newspaper seller. In a sinister irony one has appropriated a KKK cloak, and others listen to an elderly far right ideologue. In the background riot police look on but take no action. Those in the street, in bars and restaurants know that they cannot take on this number of Neo Nazis without official support so they ignore them or look on uncomfortably. Only a casino security guard bravely waves his fist saying NO you can’t come in. Thankfully the numbers of Russian Neo Nazis has dramatically declined from many thousands, to a few hundred this year, and National Unity Day is now mostly genuinely about celebrating the country in its diversity.

Prodigal Son, 176 x 152 cm, oil on canvas

A family gather on the rail tracks to greet a returnee from the city. A school party stand under the Ambohitsarabe village sign to greet the returnee, his father forgives him, but his brother is resentful that he has toiled for no reward. When I was in Madagascar people had been laid off due to unfair economic sanctions against the country, and the newly unemployed returned home to their relatives. Some were treated as prodigal sons because the family had saved to send them to the city and they were relying on remittances to boost their income.

Itinerants, 180 x 150 cm, oil on canvas

Itinerants is partly named after the Russian art movement which began in St Petersburg, where this painting is set. It shows the difficulties of working (and living) outdoors during harsh weather. A man with a sandwich board advertising local businesses is shoulder barged by a passing businessman and a gust of wind blows his flyers into the air. Meanwhile people try to shelter from the elements under a metal tunnel, which was there while Kazan Cathedral was restored.

Protest, 300 x 200 cm, oil on canvas

Protesters marching against the Turkish government of Erdogan gather outside Hamburg Station. The painting is supposed to show the strangeness of many displaced protests. In the past protestors tried to get close to power to make their statement and exert influence. In a very international era this is a difficult task.

The Gold Stilts, 200 x 160 cm, oil on canvas

Looking out through a flower fringed window a man on gold stilts is seen, walking high above a crowd. Peoples reactions are varied, some look up at him, some attempt to shake him down, one man throws a projectile and a little boy tries to climb the greasy poles! This is a metaphor for how those with wealth and fame are set apart and seen by the rest of society.

By Invitation Only, 152 x 122 cm, oil and acrylic on canvas

A smart soiree in a St Petersburg Tsarist era malachite palace. Business cards are exchanged over caviar and drinks. Outside street hawkers try to sell a map of the world to a potential customer. Through the window a statue of Lenin can be seen in the red traffic lights glare with a crow perched on his his head, a reminder of how much has changed.

Genre- This loose series of paintings show the diverting details of life and social situations restaged on canvas.

Gallery, 297 x 197 cm, oil and acrylic on canvas

This is an ideal gallery, with glass floors and paintings, installations, sculptures and objets d’art from throughout art history. It is supposed to be welcoming, to be removed from the competition of different artistic movements. The painting also includes parody artworks and amusing details and on closer inspection the whole perspective of the world outside of the gallery is shown as if in a plane coming in to land, showing this flight of fancy coming to earth.

Road to Harare, 122 x 76 cm, oil and egg tempera on canvas

This is painted from vague memories the artist has of visiting Zimbabwe as a child. Though not topographically accurate it shows the sellers of exquisite sculptures and the lightning storms which occurred some afternoons. A trickle of petrol leaks from a solitary car.

Sapphire Miners, 180 x 80 cm, oil and acrylic on canvas

A large team of miners are shown at work near Ilakaka in Madagascar. Most of the miners will have hoped to make money from individual prospecting, but didn’t find what they had imagined. In a large team they earn very liitle, and situations such as this are behind the rise of ethically sourced gemstones. The man in the foreground seems to be begging but is actually offering the viewer a sapphire. Though I have been there and I mostly rely on my own sketches and photos, the photographs of Toby Smith aided me while painting this image.

Copse and Robbers, 152 x 122 cm, oil and acrylic on canvas

This painting presents the artist as a young tourist, about to be mugged. He walks through a Tangiers park rudely snapping with his camera intruding on people’s walk before Friday prayers. The mugging in a dappled light under the baobab trees was the consequence.

Les Stars Du Body, 152 x 122 cm, oil on canvas

A Tangier bodybuilding club is the focus of this painting with sparring, weightlifting and eating cheese sandwiches on the menu. In delightful Franglais the club is called Les Stars Du Body.

Fireworks, 122 x 76 cm, oil on canvas

This painting shows 3 people lighting fireworks on a long jetty. One of them covers his head and jumps back as a firework lights early. The smoke is illuminated in diaphanous shapes.

Swanage Smokers, 152 x 122 cm, oil on canvas

Swanage Smokers shows 2 teenagers smoking pot by in a shelter by Swanage Coastguard on Peveril Point. Their shadows loom up the wall as the smoke twists intricately in the lighter’s orange glow.

Dancers, oil on canvas, 122 x 76 cm

A loose stylised painting, Dancers is partly inspired by Berber dancers, and their loose robes. In this painting I have added dramatic colours to their clothes and painted them waving scarves to emphasise their movements.

A Ride, 76 x 62 cm, oil on canvas

A sort of family portrait from the artist’s perspective, the rain runs down the windscreen and is illuminated by the yellow streetlights.

Dacha, 120 x 80 cm, oil on canvas

Logs are on the fire, soup is in the pot and beautiful objets d’art fill the table at lunchtime in this rural dacha. The couple seem indifferent but the woman raises a cup as if to toast to better times.

Slice of Life, 152 x 122, oil on canvas

This is a kebab shop at last orders. These are sweaty working conditions and the man carving the meat seems tired, while a customer awaits his donner. The heat of the grill is evident, the meat sizzles and drips and reflections abound, the Solent is reflected on the metal panelled back wall. The whole room is reflected in the small lightbulb on the celing.

Aboard, 120 x 80 cm, oil on canvas

The artist and his partner sit on a bus, which is driving over Poole flyover as some passengers wear masks and fiddle with their phones. The streetlights and cars rear lights shine on the walls and ceiling.

Nascent Storm, 122 x 76 cm, oil on canvas

An exaggerated depiction of seasonal confusion and stormy weather, flowering plants from spring, summer and autumn simultaneously waver in gale force winds.

Suzdal, 310 x 76 cm, oil on canvas

This panorama shows one of the most famous towns in Russia’s Golden Ring of historic medieval settlements, The town at first glance appears to have as many churches and monasteries as it does houses and dachas. There are monks and drunks, and many tableaux such as winter sock sellers, a bootleg liquor vendor, a youth group and a man painting the tree stumps green. The intention was to use the high vantage point to squash the whole town onto a single canvas.

Dream, 152 x 122 cm, acrylic on canvas

Most of this image came to the artist in a dream, with the almost geometric hillside of luminous yellow and red flowers and the woman trailing behind her kite. A man in diagonal stripes looks out over the water but it is unclear if the moon is being eclipsed or if it is a spindly crescent.

Mechanics, 122 x 76 cm, oil on canvas

In this Cairo street scene, car mechanics work under an overpass, as motorcyclists skip past and a wreck smokes. The traffic police are out on patrol, and some boy racers speed down the street towards them.

Walls of Essaouira, 300 x 60 cm, oil on canvas

This painting shows a historic part of Essaouira, where new housing is being built while conserving the synagogues. Homeless people have also been allowed to construct shacks along the edge of the city walls.

Jaffa to Tel Aviv, 200 x 55 cm, oil on canvas

This painting shows the road between Jaffa and Tel Aviv where due to irrigation technology, they have verdant blooms despite a water shortage.

Laayoune, 300 x 70 cm, oil on canvas

This painting shows 5 roads of the city of Laayoune in Morocco/ Western Sahara. A man drags a palm branch along, another hauls an animal skin over his shoulder, 2 men repair a door and a dog walks past a UN van. Due to conflict here in the 1990s few people visit this underrated city, and so my painting was intended as a paean of praise.