This exhibition was to have been the third in a series exploring the notion that the future is the past and that all life is cyclical.
However, Philip decided against this: “I just didn’t feel the time was right, " he says. "With the recession, the last couple of years have been pretty tough for everyone, and I really wanted to lighten things up a little. So rather than looking at the big picture, these works are all about colour, vibrancy and the joyousness of spring.”
The exhibition celebrates the end of both winter and the recession, and reflects on the hope and positivity that spring engenders. The works capture the precise detail of household items in an almost intimate setting - the extreme close-up, cropped composition and abstract quality gives the subjects an intensity and 'presence', heightened by the use of strong colour.
“I see these intimate portrayals of inanimate objects as having a warmth and life of their own - they become animate, and their everyday familiarity gives them their own character.” Philip’s paintings are, as usual, beautifully crafted realist works: “I take great care in constructing my pieces, always being aware of the two-dimensional nature of the canvas. While the finished work is very realist, the genesis is quite abstract.”
The subject of the still-life paintings - antique bottles, preserving jars and china, coupled with old-fashioned flowers, creates a feeling of nostalgia and reminiscence. In our fast-paced, throw-away society these compellingly beautiful works take you back to a simpler and less-structured time - a little oasis of peace and tranquillity in the mayhem of modern life. |
