Northern Gothic ･ oil on canvas ･ 45 × 34″
This painting attempts to capture one of those elusive moments in the early summer which takes place at dusk. The title refers firstly to my ongoing preoccupation with the northern light in my region, and to art historical references based on northern european art. The second reference in the title came about accidentally in a comment by Virgil Hammock to the fact that the positioning of the figures was evocative of Grant Wood’s American Gothic. This was not intentional on my part, as the composition was drawn from noticing the reflections of myself and Sophie entering the kitchen doorway after finishing a meal outside. In fact it is a painting of a reflection in glass. I tried to capture the undercurrents of dark tonalities which fit so well within the spirit of northern painting.
