Elegy for the end of an empire

These days, more and more of us realise that the world is mostly ran for the benefit of the few. I believe that we are nearing a time when the problems this causes – globally, nationally, locally and personally – can no longer be ignored. I believe a time of change is near, when society will cease to be skewed towards the needs of the few. In Elegy for the end of an empire, I mark what I believe will be the dying events of the empire of the few.

In these paintings, I use dark tones and broken surfaces to convey the sadness and deep indignation I feel about the global depression, the UK government's economic cuts and every other way in which the many suffer at the hands of the few. Similarly, I use colour and form to depict my hopes for the independence debate in Scotland, as well as the fear that the entrenched few will distort that debate.

I also use these colours and forms to create an extra layer of personal meanings, that relates to the joys and burdens which are part of being in a long-distance relationship. These are feelings that are becoming more commonplace as the world increasingly moves online.

– December 2012