I had two prints of the photo I took in the Kimberleys of the serpent. The image was for a specific artwork. Ordering the second photo was a “just in case something went wrong” addition. After completing the first work, I grabbed an off-cut piece of canvas, glued the extra photo down and blocked in some colours. 

Fast forward five years. I’m re-arranging my art storage in what is now my new work space. To my surprise, there’s the  unfinished  piece, rolled up amongst my canvas stash.  I’m so excited that I put it up on the easel in the garage. Somehow I seem to know what it needs: very little, keep it simple. The focal point is the serpent.

From a technical point what’s interesting about these two works is that in the first piece I started with a finished background and worked into the photographic image. In the most recent piece, I’ve worked out from the photo onto a blank canvas. By chance having an extra copy gave rise to two different approaches.

Serpents surfacing in my creative process. Watch this space.