Touched With Fire

This collection really kick-started my love affair with oil painting. I was struggling with severe depression, having suicidal thoughts and not really knowing what to do. As I listened to the music of these musical legends that broke the rules as they battled with their own demons, I felt connected and more at peace with myself. Where they had not been given the right people and circumstances to overcome their battles, I realised that I had both of those things. I painted each one with love for what they gave the world and sadness with what it had cost them. Oil paints dry slowly and can be moved around once the initial strokes have been made. Spray paints on a relatively small surface are wild and hard to control. I think that the combination of these mediums reflects well how I was feeling at the time, and like Dorian Grey (or Ghostbusters if you like) I have captured and trapped my struggles in a series of paintings (or ghost traps, if you like).