Throughout my design career I have continued to paint and draw – mostly
landscapes done on the spot. In recent years I have turned to abstract compositions
which have been influenced by my interest in music and in the works of modern
composers, including, Adams, Reich, Torke, Ligeti and Xenakis. These composers
use the minimalist techniques of subtly shifting repeated patterns, complex
rhythms and rich textures and I use a similar approach to composition in my
paintings. I have long been interested in the similarities between music and the
visual arts. Composers and visual artists talk about their works being either
abstract or illustrative. Musicians have a chromatic scale; painters have a colour
wheel. The terms: colour, tone, shade, texture, pattern, harmony are applied
equally to musical and visual works. And, common terms are used to describe
musical and visual styles and methods of composition: impressionism, expressionism,
pointillism, collage and, of course, minimalism. Here you will find a selection of
my recent compositions.