Graham Oldroyd

Painting is a process of constant self assessment.
For me, the vitality of an image lies between the strength of composition and the boldness of the spontaneous quality of the surface or the gesture of the mark.
My paintings are Abstract Expressionist in nature however they are not pure abstraction as each images tells as story, so I see my pictures as Abstract Narrative works.I am a 'story - teller' in paint.
In my recent paintings, I have returned to an earlier interest in Landscape and also played with a new subject - 'Angels'.
The landscapes relate to specific observations but are painted from memory. They are landscapes that are in flux, ones where the weather is in the process of change, or where the skin of the land is tattooed by nature.
The other images have been triggered by an emotional responses to less tangible things - ideas, sensations, experiences or memories. With the painting of these images, I try to use an abstract language which is simple to read. For me the strength of that image is 'knowing when to stop' and this is the hardest decision to make. Often the written text or the brutality of a gesture is the final mark.
I have no interest for my painting to be representational or to make perfect sense. I like to think they belong in a contemporary world and not to any one particular place. Some of the paintings were started 9 years ago and finished last week, others were brushed and scratched into existence before the paint had time to dry.

My painting is my dairy.

Graham Oldroyd
April 2004