Mars 1 (Is This Emerald Too?)

Existence as it can become manifest in mind’s eye or in dreams, taking the form of an absurd rumination on the potential of life - both meaningful and random - on the un-trodden terrain of another planet. As an unlikely but real possibility, these visions can become both more appealing and more terrifying in the light of recent world events. Earthly visions tend to be projected as we survey the mysterious emptiness of such landscapes almost miraculously presented by science and technology in our time. The Mars-based landscape in the background of this painting, ‘known’ only from Curiosity –relayed photographs, took years to complete, with layers of Devon red ochre pigment building up to semi-submerged visual narrative on themes of desert/‘nomansland’.