‘The ground for this unbleached linen. The painting started by accidentally splashing the canvas with th maroon splash that can still be seen in the middle of the painting. At this time I as working on some large canvases and large rolls of paper and throwing the paint across the room. The freshly bought canvas was standing on the side near my paint table. When I’d finished work I noticed the red splash, found it very attractive, and decided to use it as a starting point. It reminded me of the liquid lava that I’d just been watching on a YouTube video of volcanoes erupting into the sea. So, the rest of the painting was done with this in mind but trying not to leave the mark of a brush on the canvas. I through some other colours at the canvas and used a palette knife. I think I achieved an attractive ambiguity between pure colour work and a reference to a moment of reality.’  Jez Prior

acrylic on linen   90x30cm