I created these particular artworks in 2016 from macro photographs of weathered urban surfaces and the help of Photoshop.
Bird in a Bush - whatever force had scratched up this paint over tiles it looks to have been quite violent but I still think of it as the wear and tear of weathering. An urban man-made surface attacked by some man-made force but in a progressive, non-deliberate way that produces a random, natural-like pattern. I also like the irony of turning it into a more peaceful scene of a songbird singing from a bush. Blending the bird's silhouette so it perches between the two layers of paint helps to give the bush a nice sense of depth.
Black Hawk Hunting - in contrast, I created this more threatening image from other photographs of the same scratched paintwork but with the colours and light values inverted in Photoshop. Catching the action just before something big happens gives it the tension of not knowing the outcome. My own feeling is that the small bird is making a mistake by leaving the denser foliage...
Flushed Pheasant - another example of inverting the original macro photograph for a different feel. The way the pheasant is straining to fly almost vertically out of the undergrowth suggests that it was hidden deep and perhaps spooked by a prowling predator, such a stoat or fox, rather than a hawk passing over or man bumbling along.
Running Horse - there was something explosive about the motion in this splash of paint across an old wall which made me think of the pounding of a galloping horse. But I have no idea exactly what might be happening here!
Snow Leopard and Mountain Goat - another example of freezing the action so that the outcome is uncertain. The leopard has momentum but the goat is nimble. What I don't like about this one is the mix-up of continents. The snow leopard comes from central Asia but the mountain goat is North American! If I hadn't mentioned it I doubt anybody would notice but it's a personal favourite of mine slightly spoiled by a geographical muddle.
