ACROSS THE TOP… AND BEYOND
For the last few years my work has been involved with marks made on the land by man, the changing significance, symbolism, politics and beliefs of the people who have made them,
the obviously important yet frequently forgotten, or at best only part remembered, reasons, that can change with new archaeological discoveries. It is precisely this only part known-ness in combination with the natural geography and changing weather, which imbues these places with a strong mystical quality.
For this exhibition I have concentrated more on the natural geography and natural conditions that together produce things that I find beautiful in a particular area of Britain – the north of Scotland and the Isles beyond. These, and indeed painting itself, are all things that hold much importance and fascination for me, and still invoke a sense of mystery, reverence and awe.
I mainly use acrylic on canvas and graphite on paper. Images in both emerge slowly via the application of many layers and much rubbing and scratching back, and the techniques I use reflect this only part known, only part revealed way of seeing things, leaving the eye and brain to do their own archaeological dig beneath the surface of the paint to reveal what else might be imagined there.
Anyone who has been to the top of mainland Britain may recognise the expression ‘across the top’ – the journey from one side to the other; and as for the isles beyond, well, there’s literally hundreds of them.
Bryan Smith, February 2011.
