Winter Solstice, Night Sky in Denmark

About a year ago I saw some deliciously evocative paintings on wood by the polymath painter/filmmaker/musician/writer John Maclean at The Approach in London. I hadn’t realised immediately he was the John Maclean who directed one of my favourite Westerns to have been made in the last 20 years, Slow West, and that he was in the Beta Band. On looking closer these magical paintings of his were watercolours on wood, painted thick and luscious with the gum Arabic glistening away. Sooo cool. So jealous. So the effect of these little miracles of his churned away inside me and then on coming out to Denmark yesterday, I put gesso on some cut up wine crates, sanded them down and started a series of tiny winter solstice paintings. So liberating - Tom Hammick