Ma (The space between)
Ma (The space between)
Oil paint and cement on canvas
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Artwork size: 60cms x 90cms x 3cms
Framed size: 70cms x 100cms x 5cms
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Framed in high quality natural silk black wooden frame
Year: 2024
Original oil painting: Available for sale
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Ma is a Japanese philosophical concept. It's literally translated as the space between the edges or negative space. Ma is also the concept of the time and space that life needs to breathe.
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In this painting from Bury Street EC3 in London this concept is pushed to it's limits. As you look up the space between the buildings dissapears along with any negative space. This happens a lot in cities but at this spot it felt particularly acute. If you are in Central London, you can visit the exact spot where I did my preliminary sketches and work for the painting: Use 'WhatThreeWords' and search for ///lakes.eagle.issued (London) and it will mark the exact point for you.
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If you do visit it you will notice that since I finished the painting another skyscraper has been built behind them and the top of it can now be seen encroaching into the space between. This is part of the inspiration I find in painting cities. Every painting is a snapshot in time, it is often 'out of date' before it's finished. But I like that, they bring me back to now, to this moment and remind me to be completely here, right now.
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The painting uses my signature materials of highy textured white oil paint and cement powder onto canvas. My process for these paintings is to paint an area in textured white oil paint, followed immediately by the delicate application of cement powder then allowing that area to dry for a few days before moving onto the next area. It's a labour intensive and time-consuming process that delivers unpredictable but unique results.
I hand-build all of my stretcher frames from scratch before stretching and priming the canvas ready for painting. This gives me the ability to keep waste to a minimum. It also allows me to make stretchers that are the perfect size for the painting.
It is signed with the artists symbol on the front and signature on the verso
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This painting comes framed and includes a hand signed original Certificate of authenticity.
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