I have recently learned about the term 'liminal space' – in a literal way, the transitional phase between moving from one place to another; in rituals, it means the in-between time of what has begun and what will happen next. Both interpretations refer to one thing: the unknown.  

I have named my latest body of work, which I commenced early this year, Liminal Space, as it reflects the current state in my life and the uncertainties of the act of painting - how one colour will react to its adjacent colour, that remains unknown until it is painted; and how the painting will evolve from the beginning to the end remains uncertain until it is completed. The completion of a painting leads to the beginning of the next one; a cycle of ambiguities suspended in liminal space.

Two ongoing bodies of work are being done side by side within this series, namely The Italian Series and The Far East Series (each painting measuring 10" x 8", acrylic on canvas).

The Italian Series is inspired by three Italian painters in particular: Giorgio Morandi, Piero della Francesca, and Giotto. I am particularly drawn to the stillness, the subtle chromatic variations, the simplicity of forms, and the meditative quality of Morandi's paintings. And how Piero della Francesca created a sense of serenity and balance in The Nativity (hung at the National Gallery, London) with subtle tonal shifts, a cool palette and a range of beautiful, soft colours - from pale rose hues, cool blue to deep ultramarine, greyish white, to soft ochre. And how Giotto treated the human forms as blocks of shapes and colours, how a few simple brushstrokes on the faces (of the angels and the saints) could convey such grieving emotions in The Entombment, as well as the use of specific colours such as ultramarine, cinnabar, green earth, earthy yellow colours (which are not dissimilar from the colours used in Buddhist temples and artefacts in the Far East) and their delicate, subtle variations.

Their works slow you down and encourage contemplation.

The Far East series is a body of work following a recent month-long visit to Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong in May 2023. The intense heat, the vibrant colours in nature, the various cultural artefacts seen, and the interiors of Chinese temples, have once again crept into my consciousness. As a result, the colours are more intense, which reflect those experiences and atmosphere.

In all of these paintings, the pictorial space is occupied by two major shapes: a triangle at the bottom that is made up of two smaller triangles 'supporting' a rhombus on top that is also made up of two triangles. A tiny space hovers between these two major shapes as if they are being drawn together or pulled apart by a magnetic force; a pictorial device I have been using in recent years to create a sense of tension and equilibrium simultaneously.

In sacred geometry, the ancient study of energy patterns that create and unify all things, triangles are thought to symbolize balance and harmony. The three-sided shape can also be related to the body, mind, and spirit. This also brings to mind two particular images in Renaissance paintings: prayer hands and the composition used in Madonna and Child images. The triangular arrangement can also be seen in the sitting Buddha images in the Far East. 

The palettes for these paintings are either chromatic (to create a sfumato effect, a technique popularized in Renaissance art) or complementary. The surfaces are richly painted to create many and varied subtleties. Blues are used to suggest spirituality, the particular colour used in religious images in the West; and the interiors of some Chinese temples I've encountered. Subtle tonal shifts and close hues create a visual balance and blur the boundaries between colours and shapes, transforming the shapes into elusive three-dimensional forms, creating a weightless quality and a glow, as if a light is glowing from within.

These paintings are small but intense. There is a concentrated energy behind the stillness. They are individuals in their own right but best seen together to experience their impact.