Tim Wooton exhibition at Orkney Museum a response to loss

Painting in the Darkness: TwentyTwentyOne Project - by Tim Wooton

Orkney Museum - 26 November to 17 December

This Saturday 26 November sees the opening of a new exhibition at the Orkney Museum, Tankerness House, Kirkwall. ‘Painting in the Darkness: TwentyTwentyOne Project’ is a collection of paintings done by the popular local artist, Tim Wootton, as a response to a personal tragedy. As he explains:

“This collection of work came about unfortunately, as a means to address the death of my mother and the void I felt in the weeks following. The first one or two images I painted were very spontaneous, using any media I had to hand at any time I felt the need to paint. Soon, however, I began to think more long-term about the paintings and there was a dawning that making the paintings, besides providing a mental refuge, was also an opportunity to develop as a painter. Simply using the same techniques as previously tried and tested would merely give me a set of works much like any other collection I’ve put together. So, I decided to set myself a challenge; not only to make a memorial collection but to do so using techniques and processes I had yet to attempt, let alone master.

“As an artist working mainly two-dimensional my preferred mediums are charcoal, watercolour and oil paint. I occasionally work more graphically using a Sharpie pen and watercolour. What I didn’t want to do was to make work ‘automatically’ – using tried and tested techniques which require less mental effort than learning new ones. I thought that by making myself think more about the way I was making marks that I would fill the space in my mind which was I felt was beginning to cloud over and darken. I decided to try something tricky – tricky for me anyway; palette knives. After a sprint-start (using techniques honed over the years) I found myself wading through an uncertain landscape of thick impasto paint and swashbuckling palette knifes. Controlling these elements wasn’t easy and so I proceeded to take the advice I offer to anyone who asks “use the properties of the medium – don’t try and make it do what it’s not capable of doing”. So I heeded my own words and started to smear, scratch and scrape. It was utterly liberating – and incredibly frustrating.

“Over the course of a few paintings however I began to feel more at ease with the process and moments of success began to connect. There were quite a few disasters too and I have started to see those as an inevitable part of this process. Working in this way removed almost any ambition of creating a fine finish and detail was included only where the piece would be unresolved without it. This mix of broad mark-making with knives and the occasional moments of restraint and focus evolved into something I’ve become comfortable with.

“I am never confident in my work at the best of times and these early paintings made me doubt my ability even more. However two important things happened; Sally and I decided I would continue to make these pieces until the whole process was ‘finished’ (whatever and whenever that was) and I realised that painting in a new way was helping to lift the sadness I was feeling. Most artists struggle with confidence but we also have occasional episodes of total euphoria – just every now and then when something goes almost to plan! The making of this collection has taken me through troubled waters and, although the sadness of losing mum will never go, I feel at least through her passing I have found a new way in my painting.

“And at the age of 59 I’ve also learnt what Zinc White is for.”

‘Painting in the Darkness: TwentyTwentyOne Project’ by Tim Wootton runs from the 26th November until the 17th December. The Orkney Museum is open from Monday to Saturday, 10.30-12.30, 1.30-5.00pm. Admission is free.