'Dreams of Descent' and 'Dreams of Life' were inspired by the fruit in Caravaggio's 'Supper at Emmaus' painted in Rome, around 1598 when he was 25 years old.

 

Caravaggio departed Renaissance aesthetics by rejecting idealised beauty. The over ripeness of his fruit excites me on a creative level and gives a key into his personality.

 

The canvas for these paintings are off cuts from the backdrops for the Hong Kong Ballet's production of 'Swan Lake' which I painted while working at Scenic Studios in Melbourne. Part of my process while painting these works was to replicate some of the techniques used in my scenic art 'day job'.

For example using a grid to scale up an image provided me with the paintings basic composition, allowing the 'inner life' or subtext to be exposed to the viewer.

 

In 'Dreams of Life' I have set 3D ultrasound portraits of foetuses in the grapes. Throughout this painting are images of the unborn, which like seeds are waiting to grow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dreams of Descent hold images of darker myths, like the Minotaur curled and Icarus descending...