Paul Johnstone

I am a self taught artist who is interested in art that is ambient and contemplative.
Colour, mood drama and presence are important to me when I am looking and making the work.
I use oil paints and a knife in a repetitive mark making technique to build the picture up and to take back through to the colours underneath which can add to the depth of the work.
I make colourful textured abstract spaces.

I like to start with random gestures and a vague idea of colour.
The mood will eventually become apparent as I work through it but there will always be elements of nature my paintings.
I want abstraction and ambiguity but in a readable context the viewer can explore.
I want the viewer to be able to lose themselves in the colour, texture depth and detail of my work for a moment, or to spend time with the picture as you might with a piece of ambient contemplative music.

My ink and watercolour work on paper is guided by Tachisme technique.
The idea being to disconnect between hand and eye coordination.
I use music to inspire the movements of my hand and let the mood and randomness dictate the way the the mark making happens.
I will then think on the colour and how I interpret the music personally and what it suggests to me.
Each work is named after the piece of music that inspired it.

I also make music and short videos which I think comes from the same place.
I enjoy and feel the need to explore the possibilities of what we can make from nothing ,from thin air and how it can become a conversation in the mind of the viewer/listener .

In essence I suppose everything is about experience, reaction connection and relation.

Paul Johnstone