Tom Cartmill | selected press

about the transitions series

Change through time and the inevitable accumulation of experience are themes that have underpinned my practice from early on. The way buildings, much used objects and faces age, weathering and transforming with the passage of time, is a constant source of inspiration. I try to evoke a patina of experience in my pictures. This also directly relates to the methods used to make my work.

I incorporate a variety of materials in each picture, from paints and inks to gesso and earth, which are applied in numerous layers, one upon the other. Each strata of material is laid down in varying thicknesses and finishes. A textured surface is produced, where the layers are often rubbed away unevenly and evidence of previous activity can be glimpsed.

In many of the works in this series a large motif in black dominates the picture plane. Many of these ‘symbols’ seem to pulsate and radiate, asking questions about visual perception; how we can receive conflicting information from a given visual stimulus. They also echo my fascination with Islamic and Zen Buddhist calligraphy and art. During my years living in Southern Spain and Sicily I became very interested in Islamic art/architecture and the principles behind them. References to these concerns can be found in much of my work from the year 2000 onwards.

‘Transitions’, the title of this series, refers to my varied use of material and also to the movement the eye is forced to make whilst looking at a given picture: moving from passage to passage and carried along by the central motif. I paint in series, working through and developing concepts from one painting to the next until I am satisfied I have thoroughly mined a vein of ideas . Once a painting is completed it becomes a spur to develop my practice and I move on to begin the next. Transitions are made from one material, layer, passage, symbol and idea to another.

Tom Cartmill