The acrylic paintings 'Coloursquares' and 'Madurai' have their origins in second journey to India, to the southern area, in 2002, and my discovery of the wayside shrine. The shrines of particular interest were platforms, usually square with a painted edge containing the sacred area on which were placed various objects, flowers, designs, drawings or simply scratches or stains which bore witness to the activities of the people who honoured them. Above all the shrines were bathed in colour, sometimes intensely brilliant, sometimes earthy, always arresting in their natural richness.
The 'Madurai' paintings are a testament to one of India's greatest shrines. Not the famous and magnificent intricate exterior, but the myriad of intimate places within, where the oil of lamps and bodies connect with the stones at the heart of the buildings, creating a glow, a patina which echoes the spirit of the pilgrims who visit. This is not simply a place to look at, but a place to embrace and to leave a mark of your having been there.
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