Logan Speirs

Since I was brought up in central London, cities are my most natural subjects. I have always experienced them as vast theatrical stages. Human figures, however stylized or simplified they may become, will always be present somewhere in what I do. My favorite cities are now New York and Philadelphia. I manipulate memories, images, moods and whatever else develops as I go along. My favorite medium is oil on board. I love the marks left by the bristle brush and the painting knife on hard surfaces. Since moving to Philadelphia, I've become interested by the contrast between the Quaker simplicity of its old house facades and the ornate interiors they conceal. I try to keep my images of people interacting so as to generalize what I see rather than to narrow them down into portraits.

Another interest is flower painting. It was triggered by an international exhibition of flower paintings by all the major artists from Cezanne to the present (Louisiana Museum, Denmark, 2004). That exhibition showed the various ways in which modern artists have used flower images to free their vision.

In addition I am continually experimenting with printmaking. Monoprints and woodcuts open up design ideas for my painting.

I am currently working on large scale cityscapes of New York and Philadelphia as well as a series of woodcuts. I have become interested in 19thC Japanese color woodcuts and have adapted the same techniques for my own purposes.