I N T R O

The Winter Series (paintings below) was made in Edinburgh in the autumn of 2017, growing out of a long collaboration between myself and the composer and cellist Atzi Muramatsu, with whom I had worked since 2013. In earlier projects Atzi had improvised in response to my paintings, or we had answered a shared subject separately; for this series we reversed the direction. Atzi composed twelve two-minute pieces for solo cello on the theme of winter, and I responded to each with a painting, working only from the form, mood and texture of the music. By agreement I knew nothing of the specific images behind the compositions until the series was finished, so that each painting became an act of interpretation rather than illustration.

Because each piece of music was entirely distinct, every panel took up a new subject. In Winter 1 a descending waterfall leads the eye down to a ship held fast in ice, in response to music that felt like a slow, cold descent; a snow hare springs from a passage of skittering, staccato cello; Red Velvet Dancing turns a warm, swirling phrase into a figure dancing by firelight. Baroque, a portrait of Atzi at the cello, was made in homage to its seventeenth-century music, built up in the traditional manner of a monochrome underpainting, tonal glazes and impasto highlights, with Vermeer in mind.

Only as the series neared its end did a story seem to surface within it. Recurring images of home and hearth, storm and constellation, sun, moon and ships at sea took on an archetypal character, and I was reminded of the twelve stages of the Hero’s Journey I had encountered in a writing group. Atzi later revealed that his own starting point had been the crystalline forms of snowflakes seen under a microscope: some appeared threatening, some like ice palaces, others strangely human, though memories from his own life had gradually coloured the mood of each piece. The completed paintings were shown at my Lyne Street studio in Abbeyhill, Edinburgh, in late November, presented by firelight and candlelight with the cello played live beside each image, in keeping with winter’s old tradition of storytelling around the fire.

 

P A I N T I N G S

 

B L O G  L I N K S

This project is a development of a five-year collaboration between myself and Atzi Muramatsu. It’s a collaboration that has involved many approaches … Winter 1

While listening to it for the first time I immediately felt space, height and distance. The mood is sombre yet soft – very still … Winter 2

It was particularly enjoyable to paint the figure dancing in red velvet by firelight …Winter 3

Yesterday evening Atzi came round to practice cello in the studio space, so I took some photos (below), which led to an idea for one of the paintings in response to a very Baroque-style piece … Winter 4

The preview evening was wonderful – convivial, atmospheric, and I couldn’t have wished for more interesting and engaged attendees …Winter 5

I was looking at Vermeer in particular ... Winter 6