Marc Hawkins Artist Statement

Although my work is predominantly abstract, using acrylic mainly on canvas, I also like to turn my hand to more figurative work, experimenting with various materials such as squid ink and plaster and discarded wood.

My artwork is influenced by a number of subjects such as social, political and cultural observations, and personal history and experiences.

I approach abstraction with an open, or at times empty mind, allowing the brush and paint to act as a conduit between subconscious creativity and the organic development of the painting. A different approach is adopted for more thematic, figurative work, which I consider to be a kind of story telling, or at least intended to offer the opportunity for the viewer to put their own story to it.

I admire the work of John Hoyland, Howard Hodgkin, Willem De Kooning, Gerhard Richter and Mark Rothco to name a few.