The direction I chose to go forward with was a fictional type of advertising poster for the Absinthe product called ‘Liquid Alchemy’. I chose the name for this imaginary product from Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ch. 4 “....of all things he had enjoyed and forgotten and that came back to him when he tasted that opaque, bitter, tongue-numbing, brain-warming, stomach-warming, idea-changing liquid alchemy."

I have also included to the lower left of the artwork, a representation or the wormwood plant that is one of the main components in the liquor. 

My aim was to keep the figure in the painting alluring but unsettling at the same time. On further inspection of the artwork you may notice the form of a scull embodied in the fumes from her glass containing Absinthe.

I have also incorporated a dragon / butterfly hybrid suggesting the two sides of this beverage.

This project was a lot of fun to work on and in particular I enjoyed working on designing the layout.

'Ruby'

Oil on canvas.

This was a commission just before Christmas. I really wanted to create an air of life and energy of gorgeous Ruby.

The client had a couple of existing photographs in mind that he wanted me to work from as it was a surprise for his wife.

Children grow and develop so fast. Commissioning a portrait is a great way to celebrate those stages to help us remember them.

‘Unstill life’ - Oil on canvas

I had a lot of cheeky fun playing around with the idea of a still life as you will see in the outcome of the painting. You may notice a reincarnation symbol (of a snake eating its own tail) held in the crows beak.

This artwork is currently for sale. Click here for more information.

If you haven’t managed to all ready  - don’t forget to visit the Dowse to view the ‘White cloud worlds’ exhibition. Click here for more information.