This new work is called "Runner with basket of fruit". The title may seem a little odd but it hints at the process of the works creation. I am fascinated by the intersection of art and technology and specifically how developments in technology can influence the progress of painting. As always I spend a lot of time digitally creating my reference images before creating the oil on canvas painting.

In this work, I manipulated a found image from the Troubles period and have incorporated an old Caravaggio work (" Boy with a basket of fruit" ) into the fabric of this new painting. The Caravaggio painting is in a sense, branded into the initial image using a digital technique called "displacement" - The mixing of the two images gives rise to some unpredictable forms and amazing details that one would not be able to comprehend using the brain alone. It creates wonderful ghost like forms. For example, the pinkish/blue hue at the back of the runners balaclava is the imprint of the face and the eye from the original Caravaggio painting. Also, the fern pattern in the bottom right melting into the runners jacket. With this type of process I am releasing a certain amount of control and allowing technology to inform a lot of the decisions.

Its an exciting way to approach a painting and creates a lot of spontaneity in the imagery that one can create. I will be expanding on this method of image construction going forward to see what new possibilities it can bring about.