Original artwork description:

“Lapis Lazuli (One Of Those Days In England)“ is an acrylic and encaustic painting on canvas 91cmsW x 101cmsH.
The painting is inspired by long ago memories of travelling in the UK and wondering about such things as purpose and life worthwhile. I remember seeing a “Dolly Blue” factory building whilst on a train journey sometime in the early 70’s. “Dolly Blue” was a detergent of laundry blue made in north-west England. I’ll not forget seeing the Dolly Blue factory from the train window. An austere building, a dark satanic place set in a green landscape with glowing cerulean blue walls. It was distinctly unnatural. It was a chemical intervention. Dolly Blue was manufactured near Backbarrow in Cumbria and the factory was known as the "dolly blue works". The rocks along the riverside there became covered with a fine, royal blue dust from the works. This synthetic product was initially made by grinding the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli. Lapis lazuli is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense colour.
The painting also takes inspiration and it’s name from the poetry of Roy Harper and his epic masterpiece “One Of Those Days In England” …. “I'll go without knowing and know without going”
The painting is about time, memory and discovery. It reflects on the knowledge of who I am and the country and place I come from. “Dolly blue rivers, foreverness givers …”
I build my paintings in layers of thin, transparent washes of colour combined with and overworked with impasto applications. I use brushes, knives and cloths. I let the paint take its own course. I like the process of painting, so I purposefully leave in the traces of its behaviour such as the marks of knife and brush and the stream and trickle of diluted pigment. I respect and work with the nature of paint. The painting is shipped in a robust custom made cardboard crate (same as those used to transport large screens). The painting is bubble wrapped to protect the canvas. Further wrapping is made with corrugated card. A wooden frame is placed inside the cardboard crate to preserve the structural strength of the packaging. Each painting is insured to its sale value. Shipping costs within the U.K. take into consideration weight and insurance. U.K. shipping costs for this artwork are £90.

Materials used:

Acrylic and encaustic on canvas

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