The images that I paint and draw are characters I develop from found photographs. The photographs often celebrate or commemorate times of past England, leisure, iconography and social history. After I select imagery from different locations and eras, I go about ‘forming’ my own scenario, which is an alchemical and tentative process. I am careful to leave my viewer room to speculate upon their own narrative, this is important to me. I am hoping that I can extrude and expand upon the resource of emotion and information this found photography gives to me. With my painting I intend to filter the content I find, into a whole new sensory experience for my viewer.
I am currently focusing on how found photographs of twee, English settings show people engaging in the sensuality of their location. I pick up on and accentuate the way their expressions show enjoyment associated with sea side ephemera, like ice cream in a cone and donkey rides. The 21st century is far removed from that environment; people usually aspire to go abroad. The presence of sea side’s as a cultural and inspirational place has diminished, as quality of living has improved. With my painting, I use this kind of misplaced nostalgia to create my absurd dreamlike worlds, which exude joy and indulgence in simple pleasures. The drawings I do have a realistic approach where I use hatching to establish tone and texture, the painting style is markedly different, cartoonish, fluid and brightly coloured.
Contact
If you want to contact me with any enquiry of my work then send me an email here: ryan_hump3@hotmail.co.uk
