UNV-AS92-011

I am a painter, living and working in Exeter. Since returning to the UK in 2010 after several years travelling abroad I have been developing my practice in isolation. I am now ready to show the world what I have been doing.

I have always worked automatically, spontaneously creating marks and symbols in geometric formations. I have subsequently found the same patterns and codes in "primitive" art from around the world and throughout history. Seeing those objects having already independently produced similar works has helped me to understand the nature of our own unique consciousness as a channel for our creative capabilities.

Through my enquiry I have come to believe that all creativity comes from the same source and it is through our consciousness that we have the ability to tap into it and receive inspiration. The world of form can only provide the means by which we make art, be that through materials or experience.

Art is process. Creating a work of art is a mystic journey; the result is a sacred object symbolic of the activity. At the outset of a piece I have a basic vision of what I am trying to achieve, but the magic takes place as the layers build and the geometric structure complexifies. In a ritual process, rhythms, contrasts, accidents and actions collide in fluid motion; then like grains of sand coming to rest in the desert everything ends up in its right place. As with traditional mandala my paintings are essentially an abstract representation of the universe.

Through art we seek knowledge. We are the sentient universe investigating itself and looking for answers to the "big" questions. Ultimately, the one truth that we can rely on is that we can only experience the present moment. Making art, like meditation, clears my mind and allows me to be. With my paintings I aim to draw people into a state of presence; to focus their attention.

Charles Somerton produces his work on plywood panels using only primary cyan, primary yellow and primary magenta to mix his palette, adjusting tone with titanium white, and solely using the very high quality Golden brand. The technique involves a combination of mixing the paint to the perfect viscosity to create crisp dots, sanding and translucent washes of colour, with the aim to create a rich, deep, tactile surface.

Acrylic on Board

60x60cm