echoes

Kit Johns- Artist Statement

When I try and contextualize this body of work I think I feel I was coming from a place where I wanted to explore the essence of painting in a raw expressionistic form. The way I work is purely instinctual. A body of work created on natural impulses and my own relationship to the sea and our coastline. Finding a harmony between the looseness of my work, and the details that finish them. I truly engrossed myself in every painting and let the outcome naturally evolve from that with the works taking on a life of their own and becoming much deeper and powerful then just the visual image on the canvas. The paintings are spontaneous yet refined in places, and I love the synergy of the two ways of working. It has always been about trying to create a deep connection between the viewer and the painting, that goes far deeper then just looking at it as an image, and as much about the feeling it evokes or memories it draws on. What it creates to the viewer beyond the canvas has always been a key part of my work.

It is said an artists relationship with doubt is often more important then their relationship with success. I want to remain curious about my own work, continuing to experiment and evolve. Creating a lasting practice. An attempt at refining my artistic voice. The painting process is full of procrastination, satisfaction and spontaneity. I enjoy this battle with each piece I start, there is no winning formula, just my reaction and improvisation to how the paint and brush marks react to me as each painting progresses. I love this way of working as the outcome is never fully predetermined but the result is eventual satisfaction with the finished work. 

I wanted to create a collection that instantly transports you to that feeling of being out at sea, or at the shoreline. Both feelings powerful and invigorating in their own right. A contrast in sense of place, capturing an exact fleeting moment in time in each painting. The horizon and that feeling of depth often a key focal point of each composition in this body of work, and its relationship with light and tone within the rest of the painting becoming the essence of what each painting is about. 

Some of the work is dark and references memories and feels steeped in history. Others are truly upbeat with new colour palettes and themes I have newly explored or revisited after many years. Each painting and title has been carefully curated. Each piece as a standalone feeling or moment in time but there is a coherent feeling across the exhibition. A rawness and passion about the work that I want to come across now they are hung in the gallery. Some of the titles refer to healing, and I feel the actual sea and the paintings themselves have healing qualities. I am often so taken aback by the impact people say the work has on them when they see it or as it lives in situ in their homes on a daily basis.