Spinners

A group of blue people (grown up smurfs?) spin around in circles, but are they enjoying themselves or clinging on for dear life? At the top one of the ropes recoils, suggesting that one of them let go. I'm not sure what the message is, but I suppose "Life is exciting, if you can hold on." would suit the theme.

The people in my paintings are simple but get the basic message across. I expressed movement with extended arms and arched back, and used basic foreshortening techniques, for example the fellow in the foreground has a large head and small feet, giving the character perspective. In this case the people are solid blocks of colours, with no attempts at skin or clothes. My simple approach to painting people has a bit to do with lack of formal training, but also my style, especially at the time when this painting was done, was to do paintings fast....this one would have been finished in under two hours. Trying to put more detail would add hours to the work, which saps the enthusiam. As I mature I tend to spend more time on a work, see Cosmetic Makeup, where I went for more detail on the face, although not so much the body.

12x16, hot press, 2001