Another snake I did not see.  Isn’t that a strange thing to write?  But look closely at the glass bottle just appearing out of the dark ground.  Can you see those bands turning round and up towards the lip?  They are a snake.  And the colour of the glass has a mica quality to it.  This detail is just suggested.  The more you look, the more you see.  That is how it always is when I paint something, no matter how many preparatory drawings and colour studies I make.  There is always more to see.  I think that is why owning paintings has been so popular over the ages and this aspect of ownership will always be there, always full with surprises.  Bear in mind the very many hours that go into these works and the thoughts that accompany these hours of painting.  Add the use of Renaissance concepts of creating space, volume and illusions of reality, and you will see that it all adds up to something pretty significant.  I can ‘talk for Britain’ about it all.  But just looking at a painting will explain many things, and you – the viewer – will bring you own interpretation, history and likes to the act of enjoyment gained from looking and seeing the painting.  And see how this spills out into your experience of everyday life.  That is what I work from.

Oil on canvas   2015   43 x 48cm   17 x 19in