In these abstract 'mindscapes' I tallk about the tragic beauty
of natural reality in terms of non-representational imagery.The
"Beginning and End" theme is one that I have been coming back to
many times over the years. Like the
series, 'Niflheim', another example of contemporary
abstract painting that builds on the expressionist tradition,
their theme was inspired by stories from the ancient Nordic mythology,
in particular its vision of life on earth as a cycle of birth, destruction
and rebirth. In today's world with our present environmental concerns
and the very future of human existence being challenged, the issues
that preoccupied our ancestors are more relevant than ever.
Expressionist artist
As a contemporary expressionist artist I am interested in what
the timeless aspects of mythology can teach us about the human predicament
through the ages and into our own day and age. Every period has
its own concerns, but the fundamental concerns remain the same.
The art of the 20th Century American abstract expressionist painters,
for example, bears witness that man's spiritual needs do not disappear
even in times dominated by materialism.
My paintings are totally abstract in the sense that
they do not refer to anything specific in the mateirial world. However,
since I base my abstract painting on my experience of contemporary
life, my works are bound to contain a variety of reflections and
refractions of physical reality, for the physical 'objective' world
is part of the many kinds of influences that help shape the inner
'invisible' life.
This series was also to some extent influenced by
the amazingly abstract painting of the Swedish expressionist artist
August
Strindberg (1849 -1912).
