“The Peak of Life” 2019- 2020
This painting was created as a commission for Lincoln Laser Skincare clinic for a private room used for an award-winning phototherapy treatment called Dermalux.
I wanted to create a painting that would stimulate people’s imagination and
refresh their perspective on life
whilst laying for 20min under the Dermalux lamp.
I had an idea to use the painting as a portal to put people into a meditative state of mind. On arrival to the room, viewers are asked to look at the painting; colours, textures and the subject it represents. When laying down under the lamp, they are asked to imaginatively bring the painting back to the forefront of their mind and then
step into their own peak of life that the painting represent.
By connecting people with their greatest passions and moments in life, I wanted to give them an inspired and refreshed perspective on the current reality. Especially important during the times of a global pandemic.
Painting Story:
It all started in summer 2019 when I had a vision for a large scale abstract painting. All I knew was to let the paint flow in an organic way and see what I can create from there. I started to experiment with abstract pouring methods. Over months, I developed my own recipe of diluting acrylic paints with water, pouring them over the canvas to create colourful puddles and then letting them dry on the slightly tilted canvas for best effects.
It was one big experiment with many errors and lessons, until around October time 2019. As I started to get better at creating the effects I liked, one day a circular opening started to appear on the canvas. I love circles so I knew this was a happy accident I had been waiting for! I followed the flow and enhanced its form into a colourful opening.
The next piece of the puzzle came during a road trip around Japan in November. Japan is a country that always sparkled an amazing artistic imagination in me. This time I managed to see the magnificent Mt. Fuji from a close proximity. I had a very intimate moment with it and understood why so many painters have fallen in love with it. When I came back, all I wanted to do is paint Mount Fuji and that’s how the metaphorical ‘peak of life’ was born.
I started thinking about how the painting can benefit people who experience it in the treatment room. I knew I wanted to create something more than just a pretty looking painting. I wanted to create a painting that would touch people on many levels and refresh their minds while they lay there for 20min taking a break from daily lives.
I had this idea to put people into a meditative state of mind, so I added a metaphorical opening door in the peak. I then created the whole experience around it, from asking people to look at the painting before laying down and then imaginatively stepping into their own peak of life that the painting represent. I wanted the painting to connect people to their greatest moments in life (that could be behind them or ahead of them).
Due to a popular demand, the art work has been turned into a series of prints available to purchase at my shop.