William Monk: Winter Circus

William Monk (1977, UK) is a painter who works in series, very often large oil paintings, with theme’s ranging from space to nature, from industrial- to cityscapes. The work is often abstract with only hints of figuration left on the surface.

In his own words: “The idea of visible and non-visible figuration is there in my work. In these recent paintings, the leitmotif is camouflage in the abstract sense. People always see things in my paintings. The work mixes very rational thought with the irrational. I have an idea that is thought out before the painting has begun (to a certain extent) but when I have a brush in my hand the brain is (ideally) completely switched off. Certainly, my best work is done when I am operating in this mode.”