William Parkinson Living Laboratory & The Thousand Year Trust…Support our temperate rain forests.

This June I was approached by the wonderful family of William Parkinson. William truly loved the areas of temperate rain forest that remain on Dartmoor in the south west of England.

These special pockets of woodland have also been of special interest to me and have informed the first series of paintings that I embarked on when I made the conscious decision to dedicate myself to painting trees.

This decision came out of what had been a fallow period in my artistic career. Looking back over my own portfolio showed me how much trees inspired me and permeated my creative imagination.

In the summer of 2014 a friend introduced me to the trees of Dartmoor. We went for an eight mile hike across the moor and Found enough wonderful inspiration to keep me busy for the next four years - actually it is inexhaustible - I could still be making work based on those hours of walking.

One of the paintings that is derived from that first exploratory visit to the moors has a title that the painting itself suggestd to me.

The title is Hidden (Green Man) and it came about some time after I had completed the painting. It was one of those works that had a slow evolution, falling roughly into three phases of painting.

The first phase was the energetic laying down of the first marks drawing out the trees and the rocks. I had begun laying down the background colour to and was really pleased with the vibrancy of it all.

However, when I returned to it in the morning I realised that one corner of the image was glaringly phallic - not what I had intended. I set about adjusting the image and filed that aspect of it away as just a funny anecdote in the paintings’ evolution..

During the process of painting I often take photographs of my days’ work so that I can review it in preparation for the next day.

Many months after completing the painting, it was still titled Dartmoor lll. Relaxing at home one evening, I’d left my iPad propped up on the coffee table - images from the photos app rotating through the paintings album.

One of the images I had saved was of this painting. As my gaze fell on it I noticed for the first time that a face, distinctly like the images of the mythical Green Man was gazing back at me from the painted foliage. I remember what an extraordinary moment that was, it was such a surprise to see him there!

My limited knowledge of the Green Man was that he was a symbol of fertility and remembering the paintings’ first stages, I had to acknowledge to myself that the paintings do indeed seem to develop a life of their own. I’ve since learned that the Green Man symbolises the eternal cycle of life, death and regeneration.

This was one of many experiences that have revealed to me a ‘magical’’ aspect of creative endeavour. I am always in awe of that whenever it occurs.

It seems to me now, so fitting that Hidden (Green Man) has found its way to an auction being held in support of those very themes.

If you would like to support this wonderful project please visit https://app.galabid.com/wplivinglaboratory/items