“I wanted to give various bodies to the template of the flame or tear-drop. The figure in Cropper has quite a flat shape like a paddle. It’s held in position by bright colour, acting like an outfit or veil with a grip on the figure. When you come to it on the first reading, perhaps the figure is recognisable like an icon, refined and solid like a letter of the alphabet. But on second reading, the forms might seem to come apart or be resistant. I score into the paint which can show the history of how the painting comes together and in Cropper this has the loose impression of fabric un-peeling. There is a map-like quality of a template or diagram. I made the paintings using sign writer’s brushes, so the image is threaded together and in this way it can also unravel.”