King Of The Hill

When I was in America I overheard two young men talking and one said he wanted to be 'king of the hill'. This made me think about what is happening in the world particularly in politics where many of the leaders are only concerned about being Number One or King of the Hill, rather than thinking about the people and those they should be serving.

So I collected all my rubber animals and plastic dolls (many of which I've used to symbolise ideas and people in other paintings) and put them in a pile which represents all those things and people that are abused and trodden on by those that want to be "king of the hill", then placed a white blonde male doll on top (too many comparisons in real life to mention the obvious ones).

I always start with drawings, I love line, it is so expressive, and colour and composition. Initially and probably in the end I'm not concerned with form as a tonal entity, but aim to create form with colour and line. Often I use bright colour to overtly attract the eye, whilst concealing a darker meaning.

Preparatory sketch for a painting: “I always start with drawings…”