2006 “A Painter's Progress” Group Exhibition at former Artstation
Artwork exhibited in the former Artstation group show called "A Painter's Progress".
Single photo of multiple artwork pieces. All artwork on shown is sold.
Santorini to Istanbul
My experiences and response to these two places could not have been more divergent and my paintings are a reflection of these feelings. Where Santorini gave calm, clarity, lightness and energy, Istanbul was overcrowded, over embellished, overwhelming and claustrophobic. The quality of the light and shade in each place was markedly different. In Santorini the sharp deep shadows were a welcome respite from the dazzling light, but in Istanbul the shadows were nebulous and mysterious, the soft light being filtered through a grey heat haze. It was calm versus clamour, simplicity versus grandeur, earthiness versus opulence and the elegance of the Grecian tradition versus the weight and richness of the Ottoman Empire and a very masculine Turkish culture. It was love at first sight versus disillusionment.
My paintings of Santorini represent the dry white heat and the immediate coolness of the angular shadows. The brilliance of a glimpse of sky and indigo sea viewed from the dimness and calm of the cave house I stayed in. The respite and solitude I sought and found.
In contrast my paintings of Istanbul represent the suffocating all enveloping heat of too many people, too much to see and too many demands. The real respite here was to be found in the quiet, marble expanse of the bathhouse. But as I gradually Iet go of the simple existence of Santorini, I discovered and appreciated a wealth of imposing, rich and beautiful images as mystical and enchanting as the magic carpets of my childhood stories