Window of Opportunity

A 3D piece of work I put together using off-cut pieces of wood from an old pallet we had some tiles delivered on, and waste blocks from a sawmill. The base was rearranged and scorched with a torch we normally use for clearing weeds. This was then sanded down to emphasise the grain. Finally, I painted a thin layer of watered down emulsion over it to form a suitable base layer. I had a lot of fun placing the different pieces of wood in a pleasing shape, and then painting the blocks in a yellow, blue and green theme. These paints were obtained from the Carlisle Rebuild Centre where they have a paint section. This was really becoming a piece constructed from recycled material, which appealed to my sense of the reduce, re-use, recycle mantra I try to adhere to. Quite unconsciously, the central alcove began to suggest a window into another reality, and I was reminded of Aldous Huxley’s ‘Doors of Perception’ that Jim Morrison eventually appropriated for his band’s name. Inevitably, ‘Riders on the Storm’ began playing through my mind as I worked on it. Such is the interplay between art, music and literature that feeds into the muse! The time-consuming part was applying the different stream-of-consciousness shapes and glyphs to each surface. Some have said they remind them of Aztec characters or Egyptian hieroglyphics, even Inuit artwork. In reality I just made them up as I went along.

I was keen to produce a piece that evoked different feelings depending on where you position yourself when viewing. Perhaps you see different windows from different viewpoints. Maybe one of these presents an opportunity for you, whether it be a train of thought, an emotion or simply a door you decide not to open.