(2021), 50.8cm x 50.8cm / 20”x20” acrylic on canvas, oil pastel, charcoal, china marker, gloss. Tasmanian oak frame

This is a story about abstract dreaming. As I very often do, I painted this whilst listening to music that inspires me. Yusuf/Cat Stevens is one of my favourites, and my mind hovered over the vivid yet abstract lyrics of his song “Into White”. The song was written to describe the dream-like hallucinations the artist experienced whilst in the throes of tuberculosis in hospital, and at the same time, is an ode to one if his favourite artists: Van Gogh. He uses odd details and colourful yet abstract imagery to create a dream-like sensation for his audience.

The colour wheel, spun quickly, blurs into white. That is one reason why white works so well to enrich other colours, adding dimension and making them pop on the canvas. I love the way abstract meaning leaps from another artist’s experience to influence my own experiments with colour.