Charlie Acton
My work currently focusses on the natural world, looking at transitions in nature, in particular decay, and in representations of distant horizons. I’m interested in the interplay between two and three dimensional appearances, and between figuration and abstraction. I enjoy exploring different techniques and sources, and painters who have influenced my work include Anselm Kiefer, Gerhard Richter, Kurt Jackson, and Mark Rothko.
The works based on decay include transformation of the image in form, texture and colour as well as representations of the visual impact of decay. “Fruit” is based on a fallen apple photographed during decomposition, and inspired by depictions of decay in vanitas paintings and time lapse videos for example by Peter Greenaway and Sam Taylor-Johnson. “Wood” is based on a stump in Greenwich Park which has been left to decay and is gradually falling apart, moving slowly through different structures and shapes.
The seascape depicts a horizon at the distant juxtaposition of sea and sky, suggesting expansiveness and possibility, but also uncertainty and perhaps unreachability. This is based on my own memories of seascapes and horizons, and influenced by the work of other artists depicting the sea – particularly Hiroshi Sugimoto and Gerhart Richter, and was motivated partly in reaction to the confinement of the coronavirus lockdown.
