“With this series there were some rules that I made for myself. Number one was to only use white paint on a black background. Number two was to have sharp edged shapes. The size of the shape is dictated by the size of the brush used, so I always used the same brush. Rule number three was, each shape must be separate from the shape next to it. There must be a clean separation between each white mark. I was interested in the optical effect of a repeated pattern of white on a black background. At the same time the creation of the pattern must be an organic process rather than following a formal pattern. Having created this on the canvas, I decided to take it a step further and by adding subtle washes of black I found I could create the optical effect of extra dimensionality. The object now looms out of the canvas and achieves it’s own presence. This is why I decided to name this series ‘Totem’ as a declaration of their own presence.”   Jez Prior

acrylic on canvas  150x60cm

currently not for sale