"Exerior Space Kyoto" 40 x 40 cms acrylic/paper collage
Most years I have entered paintings to the RA Summer Exhibition and always hope that I might be lucky to get selected. In 2009 it actually happened and it really is an amazing feeling to know that your work has been picked out from all of the thousands that are entered. The painting that was selected was an abstract collage inspired by a zen garden in Japan. I used papers that I collected whilst visiting the country and combined these with acrylic paint to give the feeling I wanted. This painting was one of a series of paintings which I have done after my visits to Japan which have a more abstract feel to them. I used memories of the places and colours and textures to create the atmosphere and the whole experience has changed my approach to my collage work.