Halting Decay

There is something satisfying about collecting expired objects from the gutter in order to resurrect them into works of art. When a leaf falls from its tree it is like watching a symbol of decay unfurling before one’s eyes. Of course, I wish to make permanent that which is transient. Any attempt to preserve beauty ultimately fails – such is the nature of life. However, there are conditions that seem to challenge this. As mentioned, the butterfly has always symbolised beauty in nature, and yet those very same formal properties which make the butterfly beautiful can still be found in amber specimens dating back 40 million years. There is, of course, the notion that in death things receive their value, and so their beauty. Remove this destruction and beauty dissipates, losing its meaning and value. I think there is great validity to this idea.

So these leaves are, metaphorically speaking, captured and preserved. Firstly in oils on canvas, and secondly in glass preservation environments – much like the specimen jars of the Natural History Museum – where the metaphor is extended.

Maple leaves have an astonishing range of colours, from the deepest reds, mauves and oranges, through to the brightest greens and yellows, and all the subtle tones in between. In these paintings I am interested in the way light can add a layer of richness to the leaves, giving them the appearance of being washed in an ethereal light. This light is filled with optimism. Like the mythical Phoenix rising out of the ashes, these leaves rise out of the gutter, emitting an ethereal light, the symbol of the falling leaf as decay, suddenly halted.