The Travel Journal: Cities and Landscapes series mixes motifs and perspectives from diverse genres and fields. Inspiration comes from architectural, veduta* and landscape painting, and from digital satellite and aerial photographs. The expressive use of colour and impasto technique, combined with variations in style and brush strokes, create distinct compositions that blend the figurative and the abstract.

There is no attempt to replicate an original subject or to reproduce a photographic image down to the finest detail. The thickly applied oil paint creates an almost sculptural surface. The closer the observer comes to the canvas, the stronger the effect: the figurative motif dissolves, as the abstract composition of patterns and surface textures becomes the aesthetically dominant factor.

In many cases, ideas are drawn from photographs taken during the artist’s travels with future paintings in mind. Images found on the Internet, such as aerial scenes captured by drone or helicopter, are also influential. The pictures and information readily available online are harnessed as a resource, augmenting and enhancing the painter’s personal experiences. In this digital age, it is possible, but no longer necessary, to physically visit the place he is depicting. Moreover, the artist is empowered to freely interpret the reference material – to crop, where needed, and edit them with the aid of a computer.

In the artwork, the real-world city is abstracted; it becomes, like the source and originator of the reference material, a secondary element. The figurative subject takes a subordinate role to an expressive painting. Cities and landscapes are experienced anew – not as hubs of activity or tangible places, but as drivers of form and composition. The scenes are captured with a detached view, creating new space for interpretation and imagination.