Throwing paint is fun. However there’s no way you can guarantee the outcome. It can be exhilarating, inspirational or frustrating. It really depends on what you’re trying to achieve.
For Walter Wall, being open about what he wants to achieve is part of the adventure. In a minor way it’s like being an explorer and being on a journey of discovery. The unexpected is one of the experiences that stimulates his art practice.
Walter began trying to capture mood and atmosphere in his work when punk first burst into existence. He wanted to capture its visual presence in figurative painting. He wanted to represent its audacious, brash, anti-establishment poses and jarring vitality. In the process he found the raw energy very difficult to portray and it slipped into the ether. In his search he became more interested in abstraction and began to focus on dynamic and colour. He was keen to see if he could capture the energy of the creative process in the finished piece.
Later on Walter produced paintings and props for a theatrical show that were deliberately destroyed as part of each performance. He had to create a new painting for each show. He found having to work rapidly and not worry about the mess made in the creative process liberating and energising. This inspired his interest in expressive painting, and since then he has made gestural work that often embraces throwing paint.
Although all of the work in this exhibition started with the act of throwing paint, a number have been developed further using collage techniques. Walter’s aim is to explore processes to realise a diverse range of effects that may create the aesthetically startling and provoke exhilaration or simple pleasure.
Open Tuesday – Sunday // 10.00 – 17.00.