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current work on paper |
Gregor's work on paper explores our sense of ourselves as individuals, inhabiting an inner world; the space within which our consciousness exists. |
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current work on paper |
Gregor's work on paper explores our sense of ourselves as individuals, inhabiting an inner world; the space within which our consciousness exists. |
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This is not a physical place, it is not touched by external events; it is a place that is shaped by emotion and driven by abstract thought. Within this world we control our own destiny, we are free to do right or wrong, through force of will we can rise to the heights of euphoria, or become trapped in the desolate isolation of depression and despair.
These paintings show small groups of abstract figures captured in fleeting moments of intense emotion. What activity these figures are engaged in is left unexplained, indeed it is open to interpretation whether these represent groups of people experiencing a collective loss of self, a Dionysian celebration, or whether this is a single individual shown at different times and in different states, one person with a multiple and diverse consciousness.
What is clear is that these paintings are about life and about living. Unlike his oil paintings, Gregor's work on paper does not avoid figuration but celebrates it. It does not show a timeless continuum, but speaks of a fragile existence, of transient experience captured in gestural movement.
His work on paper is characterised by fluid-flowing lines and the free use of colour. These are sensuous, dynamic paintings, charged with energy and emotion. They have a tremendous range of intense and vivid colours but, as with his oil paintings, colours are woven into such complex compositions that the overall image can appear almost monochromatic.
His technique follows a tradition of using work on paper to explore adventurous and potentially risky techniques. The paintings are formed by a combination of chance and intention, striving for purity rather than completeness. The failure rate is high, but when successful, the reward is a momentary glimpse into a shared subconscious.
Working with watercolour and ink means that nothing can be corrected or erased, every mark is visible, making the viewer a witness to the act of painting.
The underlying layers are formed by spontaneous bouts of drawing which are then overlaid with freely applied washes of paint. The drawing is applied using liquid latex which protects areas of the paper from absorbing paint. Vivid washes can then be applied very aggressively in rapid, unpremeditated washes. The continued over-layering of these techniques one on top of another gives the paintings a sense of depth and intense variation more commonly associated with complex printing techniques than with water-based painting.
The intricate technique that has been adopted gives these paintings a woven, calligraphic feel. Webs of curving lines collide with abrupt marks and luxurious washes. The resulting visual complexity makes the figures appear to float in three-dimensional space, disconnected from the real world, seeming almost to have materialised on the paper rather than having been painted.
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