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Unearthed is a series of paintings inspired by the landscape at our feet: the natural rocks, the rubble of our ancestors, the broken pottery found on the surface as well as the lost junk and the precious artefacts buried below. Unearthed through a combination of field-walking and using a metal detector - the process of discovery is a performative act, binding artist to land and land to art.

Presented as a collection of found objects free floating on fields of raw canvas, the rich narrative the subsequent compositions offer, evoke the history of the land, of migration and settlement, and consequently the melting pot of cultural identity. The resulting method of discovery, deconstruction, and production, therefore, exist within a liminal space - both at the junction of the past and the present, as well as the threshold of the imagined and the real.

Nature itself plays a critical role, as that which is buried - particularly metal - undergoes a form of alchemical transmutation through the natural oxidisation process, creating surfaces of intricate patinas and aesthetic beauty. Subsequently, through observation and the building up of layers of paint, these surfaces are recreated.

The composition of the work is assembled and projected onto the canvas using an overhead projector. Once outlined the resulting shapes are masked and sealed. Paint is applied using layers of washes, pouring, scraping, and splattering techniques. Finally, the surfaces are sanded to produce the desired effect and the finished work stripped and revealed. These methods evolve with the objects, techniques are tested and modified, and control is constantly given over to chance. Once again, the notion of the liminal space is present - this time between abstraction and representation.

As with all my work, Unearthed is about the joy of painting and my love of experimentation, about becoming immersed in a place, about being active in the landscape, but mostly about searching out stories in the hope that I might better understand my own position within the world. It is also a continuation of a career long curiosity surrounding the philosophy and physicality of alchemy. In this case, it’s the process of turning worthless lost things into art.

© Richard Bartle, all rights reserved.