In the paintings selected for the present show at Imogen I have begun to experiment with acrylic paints for the first time. My approach has been to lay down many layers of highly thinned color washes over each other, while at the same time allowing the layers to run and blend with each other in a somewhat random fashion. What has particularly excited me about the process has been the deep luminosity created when the finished painting is varnished and the various layers of color appear to rise through each other and blend together as they press towards the painting’s surface. 
 
People, the subjects of my work, can in many ways be described as holding layer upon layer of meaning extending to great depths.  In my work I hope to elicit a statement about being human that is familiar, but which seems impossible to say clearly or completely in other mediums.  The idea of having a human subject and the discipline such a subject imposes on the composition of a painting is something I value. My hope is that I am able to portray my subject’s unique presence in the work, but also to somehow allude to the underlying mystery of what it means to be human.
 
Ultimately , I’m striving for a balance between recording a human subject that is compelling and creating a paint surface on the canvas that engages the viewer. 

Reed Clarke