Original artwork description:

'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.' - Galatians 5:22-23

'Goodness' is an abstract expressivist and surrealist painting, rendered in oils on a large canvas. This completely unique painting, unlike any the artist has done before, is of a dream-like quality and a play on rainbows and other natural features. The arc of the work could also be interpreted as an arbre but whatever one sees it as, the viewer is being drawn into the centre of the work, going beyond the two sides, which feature clusters of excitement detailed in clouds, flecks, tumbles of colours painted with a palette knife to include several streaks of oil paint in one pass.

Goodness itself seems is being dripped down through the central focus point and it is this which provides the fertile ground of the growth of scenes within the larger scene: for example, on the left side there is a smaller surreal landscape with its own blue sky and rich dark earth. This signifies the way goodness leads to new landscapes. Hidden in the work are surreal elements of a fabricated script which are intended to represent universal beneficence - a language we all understand.

The palette is bright and bold in the pink, contrasted with deeper colours of burgundy and olive green. There is a lot for the mind to contemplate in this work and find meaning in both in the elements themselves and in the relationships between them. The abstraction allows the viewer to attach personal significance where they see it.

Materials used:

Oil on canvas

Tags: