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| Protoza, which is Latin for small organisms |
Following E17 photographer Simon Warren's recommendation and glowing reviews on twitter, I went to see Justin Sidney's "Beautiful Decay" paintings. Although these large squares of greens and blues may look abstract, they are borne out of keen observation. When Justin was 14 years old he got a racer bike and had a lot of flat tyres, which meant he spent a long time stopped on the pavement, looking down at all the broken glass.
These paintings are partly about magnifying and thus drawing attention to the nuanced details of surfaces and the effect that different materials can have with them. It's amazing what Justin has achieved with acrylic paint. All at once, his work is reminiscent of the colours of growing moss, the inside of caves, damp walls in tube stations, spilt water or wet pavements.
Justin is influenced by "so many artists". He cites Turner, for being cutting edge and the way he handled light and paint, Whistler, for his many shades of grey, Constable's colours, American Abstract Expressionism, including Rothko. Although he didn't mention him, there is something of Cy Twombly about his use of paint and thoughtful examination of textures. Look out for his paintings at the Fulham Palace Art Fair in October.
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