Artist Statement - Alexander Innes

My primary medium has always been paint. Originally oils however now I use mixed media on canvas. I had never considered photography to be the main thrust of my artistic expression. But without photography I would not been painting as I do now. I was traveling through southern France recently and the light that I found there was glorious. Travels often open our eyes and our senses. . . we become more alert if we allow ourselves. The first thing that really caught my eye was the decay of the older buildings which were often covered in graffiti. I loved this mixture of the old and the new which was enhanced still further by the light.


In England it is more difficult to find buildings of an age that have been allowed to decay naturally. . . let alone those that have modern marks laid upon them. It was the unintentional accident of these colours and marks that I found most appealing. I find that in Art it is more often than not the accidents that allow You to take steps forward in your work. . . accidents of colour or form. These will often lead You to make discoveries in your own work and lead to experimentation that You may not have considered.


This was the case for me. As I traveled from city to city bathed in beautiful light I began to use a camera properly for the first time. And on my return home it transformed how I paint. Both the mediums and the painterly manner of my work. What I saw on the walls of southern France was energetic and unrehearsed expression. I like this very much as I tend to feel that Nature is itself like this. As an Artist you have to find your own personal expression in whatever medium or manner you use and always be open to new possibilities. . . new discoveries. Travels and photography transformed my Art and opened up a new visual world.


http://www.alexanderinnes.co.uk/

http://www.myspace.com/laroute27

http://alexanderinnes.imagekind.com

http://flickr.com/people/alexanderinnes/