Chris Hopewell, Semaphore 1, 2024, acrylic and resin on canvas, 56 x 56cm
New work by Chris Hopewell is centred on capturing the flux of movement and energy through successive layers, each tracing the evolving journey of a painting’s creation. Completed compositions serve as time capsules; a vessel to explore and engage with the unfathomable elements of existence.
'My motivation begins by creating arbitrary environments through random drawing and placement of photo collage. These early beginnings provide spatial perspectives inviting the application of random marks and gestures that partially obscure and interact with the environment underneath. The progression is instinctual, instantaneous and often a destructive type of graffiti over previous stages.
The process can be repeated many times through the painting’s evolution, where the life of the work can be fully conceived, lost, and reincarnated through the distortion of the sequenced layers and remaining fragments. The speed, type and consistency of material, timing between applications and intuition on finishing are crucial to the work’s completion.
Even though the compositions are uncharted, repeating patterns of anthropomorphic figures seem to reappear within the abstract landscapes.'
Chris Hopewell 2025
