When I think of skin as a thing, I picture our human skin, and then coverings like fur, scales, bark and various surfaces, both animate and inanimate. Skin may be coarse and considered ugly or smooth and considered to be beautiful. As a painter, I look at skin as colour and texture.

 

In the emotional sense, to me the word skin feels vulnerable and naked. It is open to damage and pain in its effort to protect what lays underneath it.  Like our feelings, it is reliable and healthy when cared for and suffers when neglected. Skin condition tells many stories.  All things are connected by this common factor on earth.  The earth and its inhabitants survive and thrive with strong, healthy skin.

 

When formulating the presentation of '4Skins' exhibition, the use of Acrylic paint in the form of a skin, is the main component to create pieces.  This wonderful medium allows the painter to stretch, build and layer, which in a sense reflects how our skin reacts with daily life.  By pushing our comfortable use of Acrylic paint, we add a new 'skin of knowledge' to our painterly toolbox.