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Deep and Pretty 5 pictures

There are a mixture of paintings in this folder, most started from a doodle then I made up some theory/conceptual stuff to go with it. For others I had an idea and then designed the painting around this idea.

The Mask of Olas. This reads 'olas', and I put the letters into the shape of a mask. The O = the first eye, L = the crease under the eye, A = is the nose, S = the snake, and the teeth are sky scrapers. Everyone has a public apperance but a lot goes on behind the face mask. It was done with oil pastels and layered over a photo. 2006
Things are constantly changing and evolving into something else, and this is like the soundtrack or theme to existence. I was playing with how symbols; old 'original' ones like the hand existed way before modern intellectual ones like written music. These merge together as part of one process, which is refered to by the earth-like yin-yang in the centre. The plant has gained consiousness and is now observing as the bird flies in space. (Uv paint, commission for Globulogic, a trance/techno night in Leeds 10/06)
I think everyone should be considered part of this family...even if they are missing one or more of these! These three represent a unity that crosses superficial differences such as language etc. If everyone had their feet out people might feel more similar to each other. For dubclub Uv paint 2007
Some say its a puffin, some say it looks fish-like, I agree with both but heres what I had in mind. The lower/tail part of the bird is made up of earthly things; humans, a wave of water and flames lick up the leafy tree. The upper part of the bird is made up of things from the sky; the red sun as the beak, the swirling galaxies in the eye and the stars in the body. These are all things we can know about and experience, the black area represents what we dont know, so it is negatively represented. 2007 acrylic A3
On the turntable the earth is spinning, and this is playing with the idea that life on earth is like a song/music. The person sitting cross legged, facing the reggae speakers has been meditating so long that the hair has matted and turned into a tree. This is reference to how humans are a part of nature. It was commissioned for dubclub and painted on canvas with spray paint. 2007