Tidewilltell is an ongoing series that began with an incredible photograph by Eoin Blackwell, I came across reading the news about immigrants in detention centres off Papua New Guinea in 2013. A lot of my work is derived from news photographs that incubate somewhere in the studio or my phone, sometimes for years. It is the case with this powerful image that depicts young men fleeing across the world to find refuge or simply work or both.
In 2019 I produced a series of graphite wash drawings on paper and on porcelain based on the little info available in the men’s identity photos pressed against the glass of the bus. I’d always intended to produce a large format painting based on the entire photograph and began one on ply in early 2021. Struggled with it to be honest and it’s still looming large in my studio as a work in progress. The images shown are the various stages so far, no idea what’s going to happen next but I’m tempted to bring out the sander and go back a few stages. We’ll see.
Further info on this project here
Image 1 – preparatory sketch
Image 2 – preparatory sketch on tracing paper
Image 3 – 6 work in progress on ply 250cm x 125cm
Image 7 – Original source photograph ©Eoin Blackwell AP
Image 8 & 9 – Influences from ©Kitaj ( fig.8 Dismantling The Red Tent) and ©Hamilton (fig. 9 Swingeing London ’67)