Diary of an Omnivore is a series of 20 paintings, all oil on float-mounted panels, and all measuring 38cm x 57.2cm.
The works looked at the notion of our apparently omnipotent abilities to apprehend the whole of creation through the virtual realities of the screens we now habitually use, in relation to what constitutes real experience. Using painting as a parallel for our own physical limitations, the works developed into a personal narrative based upon my own restricted journey through my immediate and mundane surroundings, spanning dust and coffee stains to television and satellite imagery of locations beyond any unmediated human experience. An important precursor for these works was the diptych: The Constellations of Coming and Going. Of identical size and media as the works in the Omnivore series, these two paintings were created in response to Watteau's paintings: The Embarkation for Cythera, exploring the premise that Watteau's creation of the Féte Gallante genre, during a time of political and social uncertainty following one of stability, is key to providing a mirror for our current social climate.
Diary of an Omnivore was shown in the solo exhibition of the same name at the Andrew Mummery Gallery, 63 Compton Street, London 17 April - 18 May, 2002. Several of the works from this series were subsequently shown at: The Armoury Show, New York, 2002 and at Art Forum Berlin, Messe, Berlin.
The Constellations of Coming and Going was shown in the group exhibition: The Embarkation for Cythera held at the Andrew Mummery Gallery, 63 Compton Street, London 30th January - 2nd March, 2002. The paintings were subsequently purchased by the British Government Art Collection and have recently returned to the UK from the British Embassy in Paris where they had been installed for the last 5 years.
Image Information:
Atlas
2001 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
The Rings Of Saturn
2000 38 x 49.4cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Map Of The Known World
2002 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Slow March Of The Tides
2002 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Insomnia
2001 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Peach
2002 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Cocoon
2002 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Sunset Over The British Empire
2001 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
The Forest
2001 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
The Convalescent
2001 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Road
2001 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Wreck Of Small Hopes
2001 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Remain
2001 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Vertigo
2001 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Beyond The Map Of The Known World
2001 38 x 49.4cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Membrane
2002 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
After Renoir
2000 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Dream Boat
2002 38 x 49.4cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Evening Star
2001 38 x 49.4cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel
Cast
2002 38 x 57.2cm Oil on float mounted MDF panel