Ice Paintings

The ice paintings were made by freezing pigment, then allowing it to melt onto paper. Some of the ice was melted naturally by the Sun, some by various "man-made" methods. I didn't keep a record of which was which, but it doesn't matter. The ice has melted and the marks are made.

The coloured pigments are acrylic ink and watercolour, but int the black and white paintings, the pigment is charcoal: carbon produced by burning.

Aside from the obvious point these pictures make, which I do not wish to labour, they were an experiment in the creation of images which are completely random. The ice was melted in different ways, at different rates, and in different positions relative to the paper. Some sat on it, some dripped, some trickled, sometimes the paper was flat, sometimes angled. I used different papers too, including ones I knew would swell, wrinkle and warp from the water.

Most of my work is very tightly planned, with no room for random process. After these experiments, I think I prefer it that way.

None of these pieces were, or will be, publically exhibited or offered for sale because anyone could have made them. You can take that as another layer of meaning if you like.