John McLean : Momentino

John was a truly lyrical abstract artist. He spoke of his work as like singing and dancing. To walk into a room of large-scale canvases by him is to be uplifted. In these small works on paper, the work is no less lyrical. Indeed, the media used lends the abstraction dimensions that the larger work doesn’t allow.

 

The character and idiosyncrasies of each media is used to strengthen his work. In these diminutive paintings we see the interplay of pastel and watercolour, acrylic and collage, and gouache, where their innate properties are as important as the colour and composition itself.