MONOCHROME WORK

If you want to find out why I made a whole series of black and white paintings, read on. If not, scroll down to the work - and maybe come back later...

The Story

I love colour! So, finding myself on a journey of exploration into painting in black and white came as a huge surprise to me. Read on to find out how it happened...

As Above, So Below

It all started in October 2022. I was working in my Composition  sketchbook, using just black and white. I was playing around with dividing the picture plane in half, then thirds, and as I drew a horizontal line across each page, placing it at different heights each time, the idiom 'As above, so below' kept popping into my head.  

Follow the Breadcrumbs...

I have a habit of noticing recurring ideas - I consider them clues, or way-markers on my creative path, so I duly looked up that phrase, wanting to find out its origin. 

My digging revealed that 'As above, so below' has its roots in Hermeticism, an ancient philosophical tradition, and isn't intended to be used  literally. It isn't about physical placement - above/below - but expresses the idea of interconnectedness between different realms - one mirroring the other. 

I became fascinated by Hermeticism's foundational concepts, many of which are underpinned by polarities - push/pull, up/down, movement/stillness.  

The more I found out, the more I wanted to know, and of course, paint. Black and white seemed entirely appropriate to expressing my response to the polarities within Hermetic thinking, but I decided to include the myriad shades of grey in between, to bring in more nuances and contemporary consideration.

My Hermetic Principles series

The resulting body of work - a series of seven small paintings which investigates the seven Hermetic Principles, then three larger paintings of the Principles I found most interesting, and a number of looser, more fluid works on paper, was a joy to paint. 

I spent nearly 8 months painting this series, by the end of which I was ravenous for colour. 

I'm so glad that I spent that valuable time delving deep into composition, tonal values, and some truly fascinating philosophical ideas - it has all informed my subsequent work, hugely.

So, there you have it -  the backstory of what happened in my world of painting in vivid colours, taking me on a crazy 8 month long black and white painting spree! 

If you want to know more about  Hermeticism, just pop it into any search engine, and I guarantee you'll open a portal to some very engaging concepts - it's a trip!

Thanks for reading the story - and I hope my Hermetic Principles paintings  connect with you - even if, like me, you love colour.

Sam x