The paintings were all made between 1969 and 1974. They evolved from an attempt to combine free gestures of the body in throwing paint on to the canvas, colours chosen at random, then attempting to control the ensuing chaos. This meant painting straight lines of a single colour over the top of the dry blobs of paint. The lines have sharply defined edges created with masking tape. A concern with the edges of frame in relation to the wall led me to experiment with shaped frames that evolved into different shapes, sizes and then into more than one panel. My interest in the edge of the frame led me to complicate this by producing spaces inside the canvases.

The later paintings are concerned with showing the history of their making. Each layer of paint leaves a ‘mark’ that relates to the previous layer. It is like a history of myself. The paintings are more monolithic in size. Each one is taller than me. Narrow masking tape is laid in geometric shapes that create drawing and layers of semi-transparent paint is added over each layer, followed by more tape. Gradually the drawing becomes combined with the paint. The paint itself is an acrylic transparent base that is shiny and has a lustrous texture. A very small amount of pure pigment is added. The depth of the layers on the paintings is shallow and the obvious visibility of the earliest lines varies according to the colour used.

The pipes:

The construction pipes were found on the prom at Los Boliches on the Costa del Sol in Spain, circa 1972. I placed them in position and photographed them.