During the peak of the Covid pandemic an individual kept spray painting things likes ‘Covid hoax’, ‘you are all sheeple’ etc on the ‘Hello’ sign at entrance the local Tesco car park. They used white spray paint, and every day (it seemed) Tesco would scrub if off. Then they’d do it again. 

 

I loved this call and response that was going on between them, and always looked forward to the next instalment. I also admired this person’s commitment to being heard, to trying to spread their message, despite the ongoing censorship. There was an urgency, from both sides to cancel the other out. 

 

Today the remnants of this activity look (to me) rather beautiful, like a minimal abstract painting. I liked it so much it inspired a process with which to make this work. 

 

I worked on this continually over several weeks right up until it was time for it to leave the studio for my exhibition Four Four at Gray Wharf in December ‘22. I would work on it by making marks or writing things, then rubbing/scrubbing out as much as I could, then start again. It got harder and harder as layers built up. I decided that whatever state it was in when it was time to leave for install, was how it was going to be. 

 

I painted this from a fixed position, standing dead centre, just one foot away it. I didn’t allow myself to move my feet, so that’s why on the top and bottom right-hand side there are unpainted patches, as I couldn’t reach them. It was physical and repetitive. The process reminded me of being a shelf stacker - as I once was - putting food on the shelf in the supermarket. You put food on the shelf, people take food off the shelf. It’s ongoing. 

 

When it was displayed at Grays Wharf it sat in the space on legs and felt much less painterly. It was more like a prop, a room divider or shop POS lifted from a commercial environment. That was how I wanted this painting to ‘perform’ in that show. A bit out of place, a bit curious. Encountered from behind as you entered the space, was like entering a stage from the wings. 

 

For this install I also added my drum carpet. I love the drum carpet. It’s been a constant for 15+ years now, the markings on it are gaffer tape that mark where the drums go. Every show I have played in this time have been on this mat, drums in the same position every time, often playing the same songs over, and over again. It felt like the two things were very similar.

 

During the making of this work I heard on the radio that Wilco Johnson, founding member of pub rock band Dr Feelgood, had died. Renowned for his distinctive choppy guitar style, energetic stage presence and raw, blues-infused sound. Something about the creative process I was going through at the time resonated with his spirit, prompting me to also dedicate this artwork to him. I loved Wilco.