After 2 months curating the "On The Side" exhibition at The Sidings, located beneath Waterloo station, I found myself eager to return to my primary passion which is painting. Being away from the canvas for nearly two months ignited a deep-seated desire to reconnect with my art, culminating in the creation of a new series of artworks.
While Leake Street is obviously associated with visibility and being 1inspired by remarkable artists, my recent phase has been more introspective, seeking a deeper, more personal engagement with more personal themes, which I liken to venturing into the "deep end of the pool." I have realised I have never fully immersed myself in the most profound aspects of my psyche, often shying away from raw honesty, and I acknowledge the allure of the "shallow end," which is inherantly safe. Nevertheless, it seems to be the right time to start wading deeper (maybe with a few pit stops back at the shallow end!)
In an ironic twist, the absence of a studio led me to create these introspective works in Leake Street, a location that paradoxically offered a sense of security. Engaging with tourists, who frequently ask, “How does Leake Street work?”, I found a strange comfort amidst the chaos, leading to the emergence of these pieces. A recurring motif in my current work is a smoking cat, which I am sure may hold a deeper significance, but for now, I'm content to explore its possibilities.
Here’s to getting out of depth!
All artworks are for sale, please contact me via email marccraigartist@icloud.com or text mobile 07968840642.
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On February 4th, 2024, I created the second collection of new artworks for the year in Leake Street, featuring eight unique paintings that all share a common Cat Smoking motif. I have decided that in 2024, my creative journey has taken a more introspective turn, allowing me to delve deeper into my emotional experiences while experimenting with new techniques and integrating them with the familiar ones.
Cats have always intrigued me so it was great to see Art House Project doing their paint jam in Leake Street to promote their upcoming cat themed exhibition which I am now happy to say I am part of, showing one of these 8 paintings on show here. I have no idea why the cats I created suddenly started smoking, maybe the long dormant smoker in me just wanted to say hello. It happens sometimes, once an addict, always an addict. I sometimes watch people smoking and imagine my lungs filling up with the smoke and then blowing it out, remembering how sometimes I was mesmerised by the patterns it made as it reached out to the ceiling. Then I remember the ton of reasons why I don’t smoke and end up buying loads of carb food or better still the oversized bar of chocolate you have no intention of sharing.
On February 3rd, 2024, I created my first collection of new artworks for the year in Leake Street, featuring eight unique paintings that all share a common Red Skull motif. I have decided that in 2024, my creative journey has taken a more introspective turn, allowing me to delve deeper into my emotional experiences while experimenting with new techniques and integrating them with the familiar ones.
The Red Skull symbolizes the layers of profound emotions that lie just beneath the surface, easily uncovered with a closer look. Each painting portrays a face with its skin peeled away, revealing an inherent rawness in a striking portrait format. These pieces invite viewers to explore the hidden depths of emotional experience, sometimes apparent and other times concealed, but always present.