Courtly Colours by Lia Melia - powdered pigments and solvents baked onto aluminium "Essentially I'm an experimenter, always pushing my unique medium to see what else it can do. I use powder pigments, solvent paints and mediums and bake them onto aluminium using a hotplate. The result is an enamel like surface, durable and lightfast. Enamel however is opaque; my medium has a translucent quality. The powder pigments sink to the bottom and bite into the aluminium leaving a clear upper layer. The effect is rather like that of a tiger eye stone. I explore many styles; fluid mixes will produce flowing forms whilst thickened mixes allow for working figuratively. Perhaps I am naive in my approach to painting in that I want to retain a sense of playfulness, exploration and fun in my work. I have developed myriad techniques over the years, but technique is not enough. My medium needs high levels of control, but I like to control it in the service of the freedom to explore. The drive to be a creative artist just is. It is a part of my nature to paint and always has been. I try to express the energies of the world outside and within me, but I don't want to be defined. In a sense, my viewer defines my work. Like most of the artists I know, I want my paintings to speak for themselves. Theatre designer, painter and poet Mircea Marosin was my mentor and guide from 1993 until his death in 2007. He taught me more than I can say. I was born in Gillingham, Kent, England, just a few minutes walk away from the sea, which clearly remains a source of inspiration for me. I now live in a small village close to the University town of Cambridge, England." http://www.saatchiart.com/LiaMelia undefined

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