So, I've finally been inspired to pick up a paint brush. I'd done a couple of things on canvas, stood back and thought "what a load of crap". I promptly put them under my bed and tried to forget about them. A bit later I got hold of some fabulous mica pigment sprays, textured papers and metallic leaf skeletons, and wanting to test them out I decided to reuse the canvases. I covered one completely in Payne's Grey and just went to town with the sprays. I really liked the 'star field' effect it gave, and it inspired me to try something else. I am a huge science fiction fan, so I decided on a series of paintings that would take the viewer on a journey to various alien planets. While I can draw fairly well my ability to paint representationally is fairly nonexistent, so I decided to go the abstract route and try to evoke the feeling of the various planets I eventually chose to paint.

My absolute favourite TV program being Doctor Who. Anyone who knows this show will know that Gallifrey, the Doctor's home planet, has two suns in a burnt orange sky with red grasses and silver leaved trees. Well, I had loads of red acrylic and now I had silver leaves. Perfect.

With the third painting, Krypton, I used the textured paper which I felt reflected the geometric pattern of crystals. I kept everything very pale and pearlescent, and attempted to give the idea of crytal columns. Unfortunately the pearlescent mica doesn't come out in the photograph, but I think you get the idea.

Next I decided to travel to the Star Wars universe, and what better planet than the home of the Skywalkers, Tatooine. I decided to show Tatooine's ubiquitous sand dunes, but in a very graphic way, and used a gel medium to add the sandy texture.

I am currently working on the final painting, which will be entitled Going Home. While the colour choice, blue and green, is fairly obvious, I am having real trouble pinning down the best way to represent our own planet. If any of you have any ideas please let me know.

I hope you all like the new paintings. BTW if anyone can guess exactly where the titles for the paintings come from I will attempt a feature journal on them. Bye for now.