I was always a thinker and a tinkerer my mother used to call me the mechanic, age five, to compensate for my insatiable energy I was given some paper and crayons... as time went by drawing became a daily habit for troubled times, making art became my therapy, allowing me not to dwell on the issue but concentrate on the paintings. A sort of mindfulness before it became fashionable.
Growing up other precedents took over, academia and time, paintings were for the moment put on hold as I worked to feed my family.
Now that I am in seventies I still work but vary my load by not working in the afternoon, it gives me a good seven hours per day to paint… its of no interest to me if it’s technically good, it’s merely a deep seated need to express my emotions.
I try to work as fast as I can, since the reason for making paintings is not for selling but for making, its of no interest to me if it’s technically good or on the best paper or that the oils may be inferior, or if it’s mixed media or collage.
However as with most contradictions, when you don't need money is when you get that loan, so (ironically) my paintings have recently started to sell, where as previously I tended to give them away.
Over the last few years I've been researching unusual human psychological issues such as prosopagnosia, hikikomori which interest me greatly as we are starting to see more and more of these conditions coming to the fore, especially here in Hong Kong since the troubles as its euphemistically called.
Unfortunately it’s also started to impinge on my own stability, I started to dwell and overthink issues… I wrote my own programme and started painting 5 paintings a day for the last two years.
I was fortunate to live both in Paris (Sorbonne and in Amsterdam (Excerpta Medica which became Elsevier) in the 70’s where I served my dues, always felt that I would go back to painting.
Psychotherapy has taught me a great deal about human behaviour, after 25 year old seeing a multitude of people and personalities, the impingement because an issue.
I decided to go back to what I love and to express myself to find peace, for peace is what we seek, often confused with happiness, what do they say “when you stop looking for happiness, you find peace”
What painting and drawing teaches you is to see what is not said, expressions vary the eyes see which the brain translates.
Of course after so many years and a multitude of cases my subconscious tends triggers a person that I may have worked with ten twenty years ago…
Here are my little portraits, see if you respond to them, how they make you feel and if you want to write me a note and I will send you the story behind the images...
If it’s of further interest look for my book “the glass facade”.