It’s been a while since I was asked to do a large commission; the last one was meant to be a series of paintings of the disappearing light over the Hudson river from the freeway in Manhattan – of course it didn’t end up being so specific and the customer understood that the work had to take a different course.
This battle between me and the work is what eventually makes for the strongest pieces. I am anticipating the same struggle with my current commission. It is helpful that the client is happy for the outcome to be led by me and my vision. However, I have been selected on my ‘style’ and also, my approach fits with their brief: Modernist inspired and abstract.
So, I’m on a train to one of the UK’s largest and most exciting cities for a reccie and to record as much of it as I can in 24 hours, using photos and video. Ultimately, I need the work to sum up the genius loci, which reminds me, I’ve been here before: A’ level, Foundation, undergrad, postgrad, then almost every series of pieces I’ve ever made. It is a common project both conceptually and visually demanding. I don’t know what lies ahead and not sure what the outcome will be…
