Art in Progress - Reflections on Bankside

A very early Sunday morning visit to the Tate Modern just before the last lockdown. I couldn’t believe how serene London and the mighty Thames could be, as if it hadn’t woken up yet. The Shag drying its wings amongst reflections of St Paul’s and the Millennium Bridge was the icing on the cake! Too cold to sketch so a few photos had to suffice but making from memory was my aim. So back in my warm studio, I attempted to recall the atmosphere of the place.

My process is simple I rummage through my store of well-chosen magazines looking for colours and shapes that I may want to use. I try to avoid using any image that matches my subject which, for me, adds to the magic. A market place becomes a reflected bridge. A crowd of people becomes a beach. The joy of collage is it allows you to add and tear away, building and rebuilding layers in a way that is so very particular to this medium. It gives me the freedom to reconfigure and overlay without losing spontaneity. I prefer tearing to cutting as the raw edges add another dimension and can be teased into shape to create finer detail and complete my picture.

This small collage was completed in two sessions over a day. My larger Artworks can take many visits and several weeks to complete.