A Room with a View

In these film stills, time is always present. Whether through a light-filled window, or a neon sign, a specific moment in time is being projected onto these scenes. These times are conveyed through strong directional lighting, which is often the result of artificial stage lighting mimicking natural and ambient light, creating ambiguity around the reality of these moments. When I paint these images, I exaggerate the lighting and enhance the colour palette to emphasize both time and mood. I want to create a moment of contemplation and stillness, where viewers can be aware of the things that would not normally be noticed in a movie scene or in real life, and experience the moment in its entirety, without feeling rushed.

I depict these specific scenes because I am intrigued by their ephemeral nature. The light in my paintings evokes times of day when the wistful atmosphere will only exist for the briefest of moments. These moments are wonderful to experience in real life, but can invoke a sense of loss once they are over, especially since a photograph alone cannot immortalize their true essence. By converting a moving image into a still image, and further rendering that still image in painted form, I wish to restore a sense of control over time and create a lasting still image that captures a fleeting moment in time.