Paul Ramsay

My chosen artistic focus is the use of water-based paint combined with salt, and I have been building a series of interrogative strategies, particularly those involving the reworking or recontextualizing of vernacular painting materials, to produce colourful, celebratory works —as fragile as the environment. 

I began to use salt in my painting continuously from 1987 as it provides a means of disrupting my intentions (the outcome is never completely predictable) and allows me to work in a space between chance and control. I was a Fine Art lecturer for over 22 years until my chronic fatigue syndrome became acute — I try to embrace this aspect of my life within my practice and and I have come to realise that many of my pieces embody a kind of ephemeral, fragile beauty. 

I am currently making what I term my ‘Fragment Paintings’ which are works on board, built up from various layers of salted paint, and salted paint fragments, inspired by densities of leaf-fall and the various colours and textures of the seasons, often witnessed on the paths and lay-bys on walks in my local area of St Thomas, Exeter.

Most of my painting tends to be inspired by Autumn but this piece was inspired by the local fresh grasses and meadows in Spring, and represents a new direction for me.

All of my work on board is built from layers of water-based paint/salt solution with added pre-made fragments of paint/salt. *

Mixed Media | Salt/Water-Based Paint on Board

40x40x6cm

Framed in a box frame