About This Project

So, what’s this all about?

I, honestly, have absolutely no idea. I do plan my work extensively before putting paint to canvas. In this instance I chose the individual images because I liked them.

Why? I have no idea. The image in the top right was originally going to be a traditional circus clown. But if you ever go looking for ‘clown’ reference all you find are scary clowns. Images, usually American, of people with clown make-up applied to convey and impart the macabre, grotesque and confrontational.

I remember as a child in the UK being taken to The Blackpool Tower Circus. I’d be about eight.

Back then they created a ringed circus at the top of the tower. There were horses, bears, acrobats and tight-rope acts. For the finale they filled the ring with water. As an eight year old I thought they must be fucking crazy!

Charlie Cairoli was top-of-the-bill. He was a clown. A slapstick clown who played the clarinet. I remember seeing his act but all I could find was a black and white image of what he looked like in the 1950’s. That’s him top right.

As for the other images. Is one someone else’s cat I once knew? Another an ex-girlfriend? Or maybe a geezer I met in Sri-Lanka?

So many questions, but remember – there are no easy answers.