Sean Hewitt

I see my work as experiments in colour balance really. Taking the initial idea from my surroundings and then layering dramatic shapes of colour - interweaving them above and below the original shapes and ideas. Music plays an integral part of my life and I can't live without it - something is always playing in the background when I am working and naturally that effects the outcome. Essentially my work is an emotional response to the people and places I love. I guess the music is just a hook to hang it on.

I spent almost all of my childhood on the island of Cyprus and other countries in the Middle East inspiring me in a lifelong love of colour, particularly the glorious sunshine yellows and azure iridescent blues of the Mediterranean landscape. This exciting contrast of hot and cool colours is reflected in my work.

Recently my work has been focused on a central theme of the symbol of the circle its power and presence in nature, the man made environment and as a spiritual and primitive symbol. This set of work entitled A Song of Wandering - Play It Loud was committed to the exploration of it - emotionally and geometrically - its inclusion of colours, shapes, thoughts and ideas within its borders and its exclusion of shapes and colours and emotions shut out from its perimeter. The show at the Crypt Gallery, St Ives was based on the poetry of W B Yeats and his own pre-occupation with allegorical aspects of Sun and Moon.

These are not merely random explorations of colour variations. In my wider research I have become more and more interested in the 348 colour studies combinations executed by Japanese painter and costume designer Sanzo Wada in the 1930's. This referencing has inspired me to develop two new sets of work developing ideas exploring angular fragmented structures.

Website: www.seanhewitt.co.uk