The Process - Venom

Venom came to me through a few different threads of inspiration. I wanted to push myself to work with colours I don’t usually reach for, which tend to be reds. I’m far more comfortable in blues and greens, but I didn’t want to fall into the habit of using the same palette over and over.

While I was painting, I had classical music playing in the background. I can’t remember the name of the piece, but it had a lot of bass and cello. Those deeper instruments reminded me of how rich tones feel, and it suddenly made sense to pair red, brown, magenta and burgundy together. I wanted to see if I could capture the movement of those heavier sounds in colour. Some music brings forward such strong images for me, so I try to use that instinct to add another layer of meaning to my work.

I’ve always loved using moulding paste to build texture. I’ve experimented with it for years and I’m still finding new ways to make it work for me. For this piece, I started with a layer of moulding paste, shaping curved, meandering lines that feel like they’re simmering from underneath.

Once that dried, I layered my four colours over the top to create the richness and depth that reminded me of the bass and cello. After that, I added larger, more deliberate blocks of colour with a palette knife, placing them over their opposite tones to break up the smoothness of the layers below.

To finish, I brought everything together with touches of gold leaf, giving the work a final lift and a sense of movement that catches the light.