Artist statement

“Modification with descent”

By way of Charles Darwin’s theory, ‘modification with descent’, from ‘The Origin of the Species’, I explore the relationship between individual integrity and collective identity that exists within a peer group or tribe.
My enquiry is with the adjustment of new positions talking place within any particular situation.
This perceived abstract space is constantly evolving and re-structuring, and deals with an abstract notion of entities on the cusp of acceptance or rejection.
The forces which combine collectively to make up the larger unit remain in constant flux as the hierarchy; within the group, re-adjust its position.
The paintings are a collection of shorthand motifs, which create an inferred space within physical and imagined borders, a snapshot of an event.
The images are created using computer software as a tool for realizing ideas.
Digital prints are then made and used as working ‘drawings’ which are then worked up into the finished painting.

Geoff Tolchard

www.geofftolchard.com