Painting for me is about working out questions. It takes me out of my head and allows me to work spontaneously. Some days the universe seems friendlier than others and things change in a heartbeat. I’m fascinated with the idea that when nothing is certain, anything is possible. From this space, the work both informs and is informed by the way I experience the world around me.

My recent paintings reflect thinking about unity and worlds mixing harmoniously. They explore notions of fertility, memory, myth and transformation. I'm interested in cycles and find myself working with circles, moon shapes, spirals and nests. As a result, there is a strong female presence in much of the work. I find myself intrigued by interconnectedness and oneness as well as concepts of infinite supply, abundance, global consciousness and renewal.

More about surrender than about will, painting is largely about getting out of my own way. Images shift as I work away - windows morph into pathways, spaces open up and are lit from within. It’s not always clear which space is inside reflecting a deep sense that things are rarely as they appear. I love to play with contrasts of thick and thin that involves layering, scraping and reworking. The resulting layers of textured ‘history’ stand-in for memory and lend a sensuous, sculptural feeling to the work that is very tactile. I love the physicality of oil paint and of painting itself.

Janet Stanley