White relief

This is a piece I was recently commissioned to produce which is a representation of Ben Nicholson's 1934 Relief. My version measures 1000x760mm which is close to the original and is the second such large white relief piece I have completed on commission.

In regard to his White Reliefs the Tate states -

"Like the Cubists, Nicholson was interested in the ways in which paintings can represent space. In the 1930's, he made shallow reliefs in which areas of different depths define actual space. In the most radical of these, color was reduced to just white or grey to achieve a sense of purity. Depth and plain color make the play of light and shadow an intrinsic part of the work. This emphasis was related to new ideas about living and, especially, to modern architecture, in which natural light and formal simplicity were major concerns."

Now I am no expert but the one thing I always enjoy once I have completed such a large simple piece is the play of light on the white surface as the light changes in the house from daylight to overhead light as well as the shadow play from each layer of the relief.  

Also I do not have the skill to 'hue' the relief from cast off solid mahogany table tops as was the want of Ben Nicholson however over the past few years I have devised my own method of creating textured surfaces which can be worked with sanding and scraping. This adds yet another level of character to the piece and avoids the surface becoming flat and uninteresting.

So there we are - I have to spend a couple of weeks back in my commercial hat - or 'real work' as my Mother calls it but I cannot wait to get back to the studio.

In the meantime I am happy to create pieces on a commission basis at your request so please feel free to contact me via the form on the top right of the page.

Thank you to all my customers who continue to support my work.