Abstraction: 'I am quite sure that rightness or wrongness do not come into the matter at all’

During my MA my work had drawn several comparisons to that of Ben Nicholson, both visually and theoretically.  This stimulated me to carry out a study of Nicholson and an evaluation of his perspective towards painting.  I then applied this knowledge to my own perspective on representation and image making.  Validating previous inquiries, this study also spoke directly to me as if it were a reflection on my own practice.  I was already undertaking practical investigations, analysing images by deconstructing them into their raw forms- drawing out of them the essence that had drawn me into them- finding out my own identity.  ‘One obsession overrode all: the absolute need to rediscover [fashion representation] for [myself]’ (Summerson, 1948:7).  I used collage techniques including cutting and painting and I immersed myself within my images, tracing the form in search of a deeper understanding.  Working by hand I felt a bond between my action, my thought and the image.  I was learning about the image, while also responding to it.  I felt that I was looking at an image from a new perspective.